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CHATS ON
ORIENTAL CHINA

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DESCRIPTION. OF VASE.

High-necked vase with melon-shaped body and double protuberance above. One of
a pair. Formal handles on the neck in imitation of bamboo-work. ‘The body and
protuberances decorated with bamboo stems having yellow and green reserves decorated
with flowers and plants. The neck decorated with diaper pattern, yellow on green
The flattened top ornamented with black and green triangle-work, .

Period, (Kang-he) 1662-1722.

CHATS ON
ORIENTAL CHINA

J. F. BLACKER

AUTHOR OF THE “ABC OF COLLECTING OLD CHINA,” ETC.

ILLUSTRATED _

NEW YORK
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
1908

PREFACE

Ir there is one regret that accompanies the issue
of these “Chats on Oriental China” it is that the
illustrations could not be given in all the beauty
of their magnificent colouring. In a photograph,
however fine it may be, it is obvious that only the
shape and the decoration can be given. Roughly
speaking, the illustrations represent in its Ming and
Kang-he specimens about 4100,000 in value. The
pieces represented are the most admirable and the
rarest. The reader is advised to bestow much atten-
tion on the reading of the descriptions accompanying
each picture. There is no form of instruction more
valuable than this analysis, which forms the basis of
the sale catalogues of the most vecherché collections.
The collector who masters this book may betake
himself to the museums with considerable confidence
that he will be in a position to understand ; in fact,
to read the pieces which he wishes to study. Take
for example, the unique Salting Collection at the
Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington.
To the ordinary visitor interested in porcelain the
specimens present an exquisite, if embarrassing,
assembly of choice pieces whose colour, decoration,
and age cannot be grasped, they can only be admired.
5

6 PREFACE

The eye may be trained, but the understanding never.
The absence of a catalogue handicaps and indeed
baffles the amateur. But if the knowledge previously
obtained is sufficient to enable him to master the
subject, the style, form, and colour, nothing can
give more pleasure than the investigation of such
a collection which has been brought together at a
vast expense of time, money, and knowledge. In
the British Museum the descriptive labels are
helpful.

In this book the reader will find some statements
repeated perhaps over and over again. When we
chat about anything we do repeat the points on
which we want information, or in which we may be
specially interested. The information is concise, so
that, section by section, the range of Oriental porce-
lain will pass before the student, the chief con-
sideration which regulates the letterpress being the
space at our disposal.

Naturally the labour bestowed on repression is
considerable. When we consider the National
Collections of England, France, and Germany alone
we find material for many volumes. Perhaps of
all the museums that of Limoges, where the
Jacquemart and Gasnault collections are so well
cared for, is one of the most instructive, and the
lover of old Oriental could not do better than
spend a holiday at this delightful old French town
with the object of really learning what these two
friends teach.

With regard to books of reference, all of the
recognised authorities have been studied, especially
the Jacquemart and Gasnault catalogues and de-
scriptions, and the Pett Guzde Lllustre au Musée
Guimet. The visitor to Paris should make a point
of visiting this museum, so little known, so intensely

PREFACE 7

interesting, at the junction of the Rue Boissiére and
the Avenue d’Iena. Its aim is to propagate a
knowledge of the civilisation of the East, to facilitate
the study of ancient historical religions largely by
means of images, statuettes, or figures. There we
see classified methodically, in chronological order,
representations of the various divinities in which
form and attitude both have a meaning. The
specimens are old and rare. The catalogue of the
Franks Collection is referred to in the various
chapters. Formerly exhibited at the Bethnal Green
Museum, the collection is now distributed in the
British Museum, where the pieces may be recognised
as having a printed description. The two volumes
by the late W. G. Gulland are delightful and very
helpful, and it was the privilege of the writer to
have spent some hours in his company shortly
before his lamented decease.

I owe sincere thanks to Mr. Edgar Gorer, of
S. Gorer and Son, Bond Street, for his constant
courtesy and his kindness in supplying most of the
fine illustrations in the book, and for securing per-
mission from other collectors to use their photo-
graphs. And more than this, his practical knowledge
has been put at my disposal in every way, and
specially in reading the proofs. To Messrs. Duveen
Brothers, of Bond Street, I am indebted for speci-
mens specially noted. To other friends who have
helped recognition is due, especially to Mr. C. H.
McQueen, whose knowledge of Chinese porcelain
has been altogether at my disposal.

The marks are those given in the Franks catalogue,
in Mr. Gulland’s books, and in the Guimet Museum
guide. The vastness of the subject here shortly
treated may bring many collectors into touch with
one another, and the author hopes that they will

8 PREFACE

avail themselves of the opportunity of using him
as the medium for this intercommunication.

Finally, with regard to the illustrations and the
lessons they teach, the reader will note that vases
have been selected wherever this has been possible.
Generally speaking the vase, being an ornamental
and purely decorative object, has received from the
Chinese potter that artistic—one is almost tempted
to say that reverential—treatment which embodies
all that is best in his ceramic art. For the rest, it
may be that the mythological aspects of the Oriental
decoration, its divinities and their attributes, have
received unusual attention. The Buddhist faith, here
feebly exposed, embodies the highest truths, and
Taoism, the more popular religion, cannot be
neglected by any student of Oriental porcelain.
The Japanese section is not illustrated. Japanese
collectors are keen in collecting old Chinese
specimens. |

CONTENTS

PREFACE : . . ; .
SECTION I
CHINESE PORCELAIN
CHAPTER
I, INTRODUCTORY :
ge HARD PASTE . . . “ .

III, RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY .

IV. A SKETCH SHOWING PORCELAIN CLASSED
ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF THE
DISCOVERY OF THE COLOURS AND GLAZES.

Vv. THE FOUR CHIEF FABULOUS ANIMALS AND
TWO GODDESSES ° - :

VI. A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY HISTORY
OF PORCELAIN. . : .

VIl. THE MING DYNASTY AND ITS PRODUCTS .
VIII. THE TSING DYNASTY, KANG-HE PERIOD
IX, THE YUNG-CHING PERIOD

Xx. THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD

XI, MANDARIN PORCELAIN, YUNG-CHING PERIOD
AND LATER

PAGE

21
29
35

131

CHAPTER
XII.

XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.

XIX.

XX.
XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.

XXXVI.

CONTENTS

KEA-KING, TAOU-KWANG, AND THE LATER
EMPERORS .

CHINESE WHITE PORCELAIN

SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES : .
CHINESE CRACKLE : .

BLUE AND OTHER COLOURS UNDER THE GLAZE
CLOBBER WARE OR REDECORATED PORCELAIN
RETICULATED PORCELAIN . . .

DECORATED WITH COLOURED ENAMELS ’

A. THE BLACK FAMILY—‘' FAMILLE NOIRE”
B. THE GREEN FAMILY—‘* FAMILLE VERTE”

C. POWDERED AND MAZARINE BLUE WITH
ENAMEL COLOURS

D. THE GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY—*‘ FAMILLE
JAUNE”

E. CORAL RED GROUND—‘“* ROUGE DE FER”

F. THE ROSE FAMILY—“ FAMILLE ROSE”

G. OTHER ENAMEL COLOURS

PORCELAIN OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
IMITATIONS OF ORIENTAL PORCELAIN .

SYMBOLICAL DESIGNS. .

A. EMBLEMS IN ANIMALS
B. EMBLEMS IN TREES
C. EMBLEMS IN FLOWERS

DATE MARKS ON ORIENTAL PORCELAIN .,
SYMBOLICAL MARKS AND ORNAMENTS
THE IMMORTALS OR CHENS . .

THE DRESDEN COLLECTION

PAGE

139
147
153
175
181

201
203

211

285
2g1

297

3°7
323
337
345

CONTENTS 11
SECTION II
JAPANESE PORCELAIN AND POTTERY

CHAPTER PAGE
XXVII, JAPANESE PORCELAIN AND POTTERY - 349
IMARI, ARITA, OR HIZEN
HIRADO
NABESHIMA

XXVIII SATSUMA. : ‘ : . oe
KYOTO
AWATA
MARKS, FIRST SET

XXIX. BIZEN OR IMBE : ; : i (OF
KUTANI
KENZAN WARE
YEIRAKU WARE

ys" Isa”, : ; ‘ ‘ 375
BANKO
.SOMA
SANDA
SHEBA
VARIOUS
MARKS, SECOND SET

SECTION III

XXXI, SALE PRICES : : : + aes

INDEX . , 403

' ILLUSTRATIONS

VASE, IN PROPER COLOURS, KANG-HE

PAO-YUEH-KOUANG AND TIEN-KONG .
THE DRAGON

THE TRUE KYLIN

THE COREAN LION . .
THE HO-HO OR PH@NIX

KWAN-YIN, MING .

ANOTHER KWAN-YIN, MING .
KWAN-YIN, WITH ATTENDANTS
SI-WANG-MU . .
OD-DPAG-MED AMITABHA OR AMIDA
WAN CHONG, THE GOD OF THE LEARNED
KUAN-TI, THE GOD OF WAR .
WEN-TCHANG, THE GOD OF WISDOM .
PIU-HWO, TAOIST GOD

HAN SEANG-TSE (2) AND CHANG KO-LAOU

BUDDHIST DIVINITIES (2) AND HAN CHUNG-LE .

THE TAOIST IMMORTALS (8) . :
THE DOG OF BUDDHA OR COREAN LION.
EMBLEMS IN BIRDS, PHEASANTS

WHITE PORCELAIN, KWAN-YIN . .
43

. Frontispiece

PAGE
40

54
55
56
57
60
63
ae OA
67
68
71
72
75
76

97
80

ILLUSTRATIONS

‘SANG DE BUF,” SELF-COLOUR. :

**CLAIRE DE LUNE” CRACKLE, SELF-COLOUR . :

TIGER SPOTTED OR SPLASHED GLAZE

PEACH BLOW, WITH WHITE AND CELADON

CRACKLE VASES, &C., MOUNTED IN ORMOLU

BLUE AND WHITE BEAKERS 3 DISHES AND COVERS : .

BLUE AND WHITE VASE; WATER EWER AND COVER

BLUE AND WHITE VASES, WITH LANGE-LYSEN .

BLUE AND WHITE GINGER JAR, OR OVIFORM VASE.

BLUE AND RED UNDER-GLAZE, CONICAL VASE .

RED UNDER-GLAZE, ENAMELS OVER-GLAZE, CYLINDRICAL VASE

RETICULATED INCENSE BURNER

RETICULATED VASE . .

BLACK

GREEN

POWDERED-BLUE,
DECORATION

POWDERED-BLUE,

FAMILY,
FAMILY,

FAMILY,

FAMILY,
FAMILY,
FAMILY,
FAMILY,
FAMILY,

FAMILY,

PLATES

“FAMILLE NOIRE,’ TEAPOTS
» + BOWL
» 13 VASES, TAPERING SQUARE
ay VASES, PEAR-SHAPED .
” VASES, TWO
‘*FAMILLE VERTE,” VASE, OVIFORM
” 2 LANTERN, EGG-SHELL
a 5 VASES (3), SQUARE-SHAPED
“ ss VASE, BEAKER- SHAPED

” ” HEXAGONAL, ARROW -
STAND .

» ” VASE, GOURD-SHAPED

WITH ‘* FAMILLE VERTE,” AND BLUE

WITH ‘‘ FAMILLE VERTE,’”? DECORATION,

MAZARINE-BLUE, WITH ‘‘ FAMILLE ROSE,’’ DECORATION, VASES

GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY, ‘‘FAMILLE JAUNE,” VASE,
SQUARE-SHAPED . - i , : ‘

246

249
250

254

ILLUSTRATIONS 15

PAGE
GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY, ‘‘ FAMILLE JAUNE,” JARDINIERE . 257

CORAL RED, ‘‘ ROUGE DE FER,”’ VASE, CYLINDRICAL : 261
CORAL RED, a ae VASE, CYLINDRICAL . = 262
ROSE FAMILY, ‘‘ FAMILLE ROSE,’”’ RUBY-BACK PLATES, &C. . 266
EGG-SHELL, ‘* ROSE” ‘‘VERTE,” VASE . : . . 269
APPLE-GREEN GROUND, MING BISCUIT, TEAPOTS . : 273
APPLE-GREEN GROUND, LANG-YAO, VASES , F 2 294
DELICATE GREEN GROUND, VASE, GOURD-SHAPED . ; 277
DELICATE GREEN GROUND, VASES, KEA-KING . a . 278
AUBERGINE GROUND, VASES, FLAT-SHAPED . ; . 281
MANDARIN CHINA, VASES, CONICAL, EGG-SHELL : « 282
THE IMMORTALS: HAN CHUNG-LE; LEU TUNG-PIN . : 340

LE TEE-KWAE; TSAOU KWO-KIU : é s BAT

LAN TSAE-HO; CHANG KO-LAOU . : 342

HAN SEANG-TSZE; HO SEEN-KOO - 343
FIVE CLAWS; HO-HO BIRD. ; : ; . 354

DOG OF FO; THE KYLIN . ; : ‘ : - 355

che nln tes ie oe eh

Q sl S . <a a2 ]
PERN Sek s Cl We
arts wk ae ee ee eS

: oe “8

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The chief books referred to in this volume are :—
FRANKS, Sir A. W. Bethnal Green Collection. Catalogue of
Original Pottery and Porcelain.
GULLAND, W.G. Chinese Porcelain. 2 vols. With Illustrations.
The small Guide to the Musée Guimet. Paris.

GLOSSARY

Base. The solid support or bottom of any vessel either simple or
ornamentally shaped.

Beaker. The Chinese beaker is a trumpet-shaped vase, having
neither handle nor spout nor beak.

Biscuit. Porcelain unglazed, having no gloss.

Body. The part of a vase which corresponds with the body in the
human figure. The shape may be simple, or two or more
forms combined.

Bottle. A vase with spheroidal body, long neck and narrow
mouth. The gourd-shaped Oriental bottle may be double,
having three bodies diminishing from the bottom upwards.

Burnt-in. A term used to distinguish the painted from the
enamelled porcelain, the first being burnt in with the glaze,
the second having the colours laid over the glaze.

Celadon. The soft green colour upon pieces of old Oriental. See
further in the section dealing with colours mixed with the
glaze and burnt in at the first firing. European glaze is
nearly always transparent and colourless.

China or Porcelain Paste is translucid, in pottery it is opaque.

) 17

18 GLOSSARY

Colours. Five colours :—green, yellow, aubergine, blue, and red.
Three colours :—green, a curious shade ; yellow, varying
from pale to bright ; aubergine, also varying in tone.

Egg-shell China first appeared in the Yung-lo period, and later it
was as thin as bamboo paper. Under the Lung-king and
Wan-leih emperors pure white porcelain of this kind was
called “egg-shell.” In many pieces the paste is so thin as
to appear to be only two layers of glaze.

Enamel, Mixed with a glassy composition were certain trans-
parent or opaque colours which were used in over the glaze
decoration. In pottery they are used in the glaze.

Fen-ting. Soft paste, or more correctly, soft glaze porcelain.

Figures, Figurines, Magots, Statuettes, are single, grouped, or
attached as ornaments to a piece; such as the eight
immortals, etc.

Forms. These are diversified. Cylindrical, globular or sphe-
roidal, egg-shaped or ovoid; apple-shaped or pomiform,
pear-shaped or pyriform ; cubical, hexagonal, etc.

Glaze. The composition used for coating porcelain or pottery.
It literally means covering with glass or any vitrifiable sub-
stance having similar properties.

Grand Feu. The kiln at its greatest heat in which the clays were
acted upon so as to produce porcelain or pottery. The
decoration was often fixed in the “ petit feu,’ or muffle kiln.
The hard firing, when less than the maximum heat was
required, was done in the “ demi-grand feu.”

Graviata. This name is given to patterns traced or cut on the
porcelain or on the enamel.

“ Hundred Antiques.” A form of decoration, consisting of utensils,
symbols, vases, &c., called ‘‘ po-ku.”

Kaolin. Porcelain or china clay, derived from the decomposition
of granite rocks.

Kiln, “Grand feu” first baking, temperature about 4717°
Fahrenheit. “Demi-grand feu” for fixing colours which
could bear intense heat which were applied before glazing.
More delicate enamel colours were applied for firing in the
“ petit feu” or muffle kiln.

Mandarin. A term applied to Chinese porcelain decorated with a
certain class of figure subjects.

Mice China has ornament, in high relief, of the branches, leaves,
and fruit of the vine, with squirrels or foxes, so-called mice,
also in relief. It is Mandarin eighteenth century as a rule.

Moulds. These are used for figures and for the various orna-
ments which are fixed upon the piece.

Naga. This word translated means Dragon, which is dealt with
under that name.

GLOSSARY 19

Neck. In the bottle, flagon, and flask, the neck is of different
length and form. The throat may be narrow or wide,
inclining inwards or outwards, or even perpendicular.

Ornaments. These are very varied. They may be in relief,
reticulated, impressed, engraved in the paste ; or they may
be arabesque, grotesque ; or they may be lines in angles,
lozenges, zigzags, ribbons, and paintings of every kind.

Paste. The body of which porcelain or pottery vessels is made.
Hard paste cannot be scratched or filed and resists the
action of great heat. Soft paste is easily scratched and is
melted by intense heat.

Pekin Ware is graviata of the Taou-kwang period. It was never
made in Pekin, but the name is still used.

Petuntze. Pulverised “ china rock” forming a white paste (pe-tun)
made into bricks (petuntze). It melts in the heat of a porce-
lain furnace into a milky glass.

Pin-points are tiny holes found on the bottom of early Chinese
porcelain.

Porcelain. A compound of kaolin and petuntze. The kaolin is
not fusible, the petuntze vitrifies and envelopes the kaolin,
producing a smooth compact body which is translucent.

Pottery. This is formed of a mixture of clays. Ordinary potter’s-
clay is used for common earthenware, and a blue clay, of a
greyish colour, is much used in making flint-ware.

Saucer. The old Chinese form of the plate is always saucer-
shaped. The flattening of the rim produced the dish and
plate. Raising the sides gave the bowl, basin, and cup. By
adding a handle we have the tea-cup.

Seggar. This is the protective vessel or case in which the pieces
of porcelain or pottery are burnt in the kiln.

Slip. The liquid clay which is applied to the piece, under or over
the glaze, either by pouring or painting. ~

Stoneware. Hard pottery which forms the link between porcelain
and earthenware. In Chinese products stoneware is used
with self-colours applied in the glaze.

Vases. All vessels used for drinking cups and goblets, for
ointments or perfumes, for holding, carrying, or pouring
wine, oil, or water ; and similar or varied forms used solely
for ornament.

Willow Pattern. A popular decoration of Nankin blue services.
There are several varieties, but all have the weeping willow.

Yao-pien. The Chinese name for splashed, “shot” silk, or variegated
glazes.

SECTION 1

INTRODUCTORY

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

CHAPTER: I
INTRODUCTORY

THIS book does not pretend to do more than to
indicate to the collector the lines on which collections
could or should be made, for “Chats on old Oriental
China” scarcely imply a scientific treatise. Incident-
ally one point will lead on to another, but with
always this object in view, to send the collector to
the museums to train his eye as well as his under-
standing and to bring him in touch with all that
makes for beauty in Oriental porcelain, a porcelain
teaming with mythology, having decorations satur-
ated with that mythology, full of emblems of all
that concerns the best and highest life of the
Chinese, pointing, we may say, to a religion which,
although feebly understood in Europe, has been
for centuries a real moving factor in the national
life of the Oriental peoples. Hence, when we find
the earliest European copies framed on Chinese
mythology, and birds and flowers and beasts all
unknown to the Occidental mind figuring upon vases

at Dresden, at Chelsea, or at Sevres we are struck
23

24 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

with the incongruity of the association. All Euro-
pean factories, at the first, strove to imitate that
porcelain which had been in existence in China long
before history in Europe had begun its accurate
chronology.

There are collectors of the European productions
who revel in the delights of fine Dresden groups, of
marvellous Chelsea or Worcester vases, of Bristol
figures and the other magnificent productions of the
European factories in earthenware and porcelain,
but we may safely say that the collector who takes
up the study of Oriental porcelain relegates all
these European productions into oblivion, and has
only one desire, to secure the best possible specimens
from the land of far Cathay.

The collection of Oriental porcelain is not easy,
especially with regard to the finer productions. The
old figures, vases and dishes made hundreds of years
ago, decorated with taste and skill beyond all
comparison, these can be purchased only by the few.
But there are many genuine old pieces still un-
recognised, but valuable, each telling its own story,
and that story one that can be learnt. We said that
there were dangers to the collector, and this is true;
for centuries the Chinese and Japanese have repro-
duced with minute accuracy the early productions
—the Ming and the Kang-he—and the European
factories have, in these later times, poured out upon
the market many marvellous forgeries which would
deceive, possibly, the very expert. The German
imitations are passable, but those produced in
France, especially in Paris, are so excellent that
it would be well for buyers to judge of them, by
daylight only—in fact, in buying any fine porcelain
this rule should be adhered to. Remember this,
there is no forgery existing which would deceive an

INTRODUCTORY 25

expert worthy of the name, as there is, without
exception, always a failure in some point, either in
the colouring, glazing, paste, or drawing, which
betrays the copy to a thorough student of Chinese
porcelain. The best imitations are those made in
Hungary about forty to fifty years ago; the German
copies by comparison are very inferior and weak.
Never buy by artificial light, for “colours seen by
candle-light do not look the same by day.” Marks
on porcelain should always be ignored, except when
the piece bearing the said mark is beyond doubt;
it is an added interest to have a mark of the
proper period. Not alone are patterns forged, but
marks are forged; hence when pattern and mark
both agree with the old example, something more
is required than a mere superficial knowledge of
pattern and mark—that is, the paste or body has
to be known, and more, the eye has to be trained
so as to distinguish the special character of the
piece—in fact, it is the cout ensemble which to
the finest judges is the surest guide. They cannot
tell why they know, but by a look they do know.
It may be that the atmospheric influences extending
over long years has softened and modified the
colours and taken from them their boldness, so that’
when paste and glaze and colour all please the trained
eye the purchase may be made in safety. And here
we should advise our readers rather to buy from a
respectable dealer than at auction sales. In the
excitement of auction sales higher prices may be
paid than would be prudent, or, indeed, it may be
that the quality of the specimen bid for is not exactly
that which the buyer requires, and the difficulty of
changing it is accentuated when the purchaser buys
at an auction. In fact, toa beginner with money to
spend, no advice can be better than that he should

26 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

put himself in the hands of a respectable dealer,
informing him of his wants, telling him the price he
is prepared to pay, and leaving him to deal squarely
and fairly. Not only is there danger of the marks
being forged and the pattern copied, but really old
pieces of Oriental porcelain are often redecorated,
so that upon an old piece is found the most elaborate
decoration. This to the collector is most puzzling.
He sees the porcelain is rare, and, as we have said,
really old, and that the pattern and colour of the
decoration is what he has been accustomed to either
at Exhibitions, such as those in the National
Museums, or in illustrations as given in the best
books, yet the specimen is not right and it can be
tested. The enamel decoration on a re-decorated
piece produces a different effect from that upon an
old piece. In the latter the enamel colours do not
stand out like modern oil painting, but they lie flat
and agree in general character and tone with the
porcelain itself. Sometimes, in these re-decorated
pieces, traces of the old decorations, covered up
under the modern enamel decorations, may be
found,

Amongst other hints to the collector of old
Oriental porcelain must be one with regard to
cracked and mended porcelain. By this we mean
not alone those pieces which are built up as far as
some particular part is concerned, and which can be
tested by striking the various parts with a coin,
when the difference between the ring of the original
part and the dull sound from the composition used
in mending may be easily detected. Further, the
sense of smell may be brought into play. Generally,
the composition used in mending old porcelain in
this way smells of oil or turpentine. The third test
may be applied by means of a magnifying-glass

INTRODUCTORY 27

which will at once reveal the difference between the
smooth original glaze and the varnish glaze added
to cover the mend. But this is not all. Some
mending is done at the factories, where a piece of
porcelain of the same tone and colour, with the
same decoration, is built and fixed on to the sound
piece in such a way as to leave no trace that can
be detected by sound, sight, or smell. In this case
it really matters very little, as the character of the
old porcelain is so well preserved that the piece may
be regarded as being perfect. A very simple test
for detecting a repair in porcelain is to pass the
point of a pin, not too heavily, over the suspected
part, when if the original has been at all interfered
with, scratches and marks of the pin will be easily
seen.

HARD
PASTE

CHAPTER II
HARD PASTE

NEARLY the whole of Oriental porcelain is hard
paste. By this we mean it cannot be cut with a
file. Both paste and glaze are hard, and although
some people speak of soft-paste Oriental porcelain
our observation teaches us that it is so rare that it
may be neglected by the ordinary collector, who, if
he should accidentally find a piece, will remember
that this soft paste is of a very white colour with an
opaque look, and for painting under the glaze seemed
to have the disadvantage that the colours were more
liable torun than on the ordinary description, which
is just like what has been found on early English
soft-paste porcelain, where the colours are liable to
run upon the paste. In the Chinese soft paste better
effect was produced by the hatching and stippling style
of decoration which was adopted in later times and
superseded the broad washes adopted in the Kang-he
period.

Porcelain in China was usually formed of two
materials, of which one—Pe-tun-tze—resembles our
China stone. It is a white fusible material, a
mixture of felspar and quartz, obtained from pounded
rock and formed into cakes or bricks, hence its

Chinese name.
31

32 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

The other material is named Kaolin, or China clay.
It is infusible, and is derived from the decomposed
felspar of granite. This is also formed into cakes.
When these two materials, China rock and China
clay, have been thoroughly ground, cleansed, sifted
and refined into an impalpable powder, they are
kneaded together in varying proportions to form a

clay ready for the potter. The wet clay is turned >

on the potter’s wheel or table, then is passed through
the hands of various workmen who add handles and
other decorations made in moulds, who smooth the
surface and so work upon it that the next process—
the drying process—is preparatory to the under-glaze
decoration. In this semi-soft state the foot remains
a solid mass. Any decorations in blue or red or
other colours which can be applied under the glaze
are then used for painting the under-glaze decoration.
The glaze is next applied in various ways by dipping,
by blowing on with a tube, by sprinkling, and so on.
When these processes have been completed it only
remains for the potter to fashion the foot upon the
wheel and to inscribe any mark which may be
adopted. These being then coated with glaze, the
piece is ready for the furnace.

Porcelain placed in the kiln to be fired has to
be protected in strong clay vessels called seggars,
which admit the heat but protect it from injury.
Every piece is placed in the kiln according to the
temperature which is necessary for its complete
firing. Some pieces would be placed at the top
of the kiln, other pieces at the tip-top of the
kiln, very much in accordance with the practice
in our English potteries at the present time. The
furnace when full is entirely bricked up and the
whole contents of the kiln are kept at a great heat,
usually for a night and a day, after which the kiln

HARD PASTE 33

is allowed to cool off, and in due time the porcelain
is removed. In speaking of white porcelain, or
porcelain decorated under the glaze, the process is
now complete, but if enamel colours are used
further burnings in a kiln take place. After the
enamel decoration has been applied over the glaze
—and the painters who use the enamel colours
may take long weeks or months in decorating a
single piece—and until the whole is finished, the
piece is fired again and again in a kiln at a
much lower temperature, the process being quite
similar to the previous one, although the heat is
much less. Colours which are applied with the glaze,
as we shall see later—self-colours, such as the Cela-
dons—pass only through the first process and need
no second firing.

In Chinese porcelain it is well to note that no
distinction is made between pottery and porcelain ;
the European distinction is that whereas pottery is
opaque, porcelain is translucent. It is often difficult
to say when heavy Celadon colours are applied to
pieces of Oriental manufacture whether the body is
porcelain or pottery. The pieces decorated with
heavy Celadon colours are very often on a porcel-
laneous stone ware, which is generally accepted as
marking the evolution period between pottery and
the hard porcelain. There are many examples
of fine pottery—stone ware—dating from the Ming
period which are unmistakable.

Ill

RELIGION
AND
MYTHOLOGY

+
f
‘

aes

CHAPTER..1u
RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY

WE have noted previously that the decoration of
Oriental porcelain is largely bound up in mythology,
nay, more, it is largely connected with religion.
The religions of China must therefore receive some
attention from those who would really understand
the beauty of the decorations used by the Chinese.
China possesses three principal religions, of which
two are national—Confucianism and Taoism—one
imported from India—Buddhism. Although Con-
fucianism may be said to be the official religion of
the Court, of the functionaries, and of the learned, it
is not a religion in the sense which we attach to the
word. Confucius was the reformer of the ancient
national religion, which was really fetishism. It isa ~
code of practical morality based upon the duties
and obligations of mankind, and respect for both
ancestors and antiquity. Idols such as images of
gods and spirits are put on one side. Confucius
recognised implicitly the existence of a God creator
of the world—Chang-ti, the Emperor Supreme, or
Thien, the Heaven; the Emperor alone as “Son
of Heaven” was, as it were, the priest, acting
in the name of all his people, addressing to the
Creator of the world prayers and thanksgivings, at .
37

38 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

the winter and summer solstices and at the spring
equinox.

Not alone does the God of Heaven partake of
these ceremonies in the Imperial worship, but the
goddesses of the earth, and the various genii of the
waters, of the mountains, and stars, and the Imperial
ancestors. No images are made of these, and they
are only represented on the altars by tablets on
which are their names. Confucianism orders respect
and veneration for ancestors, who ought to be
cherished and treated as if they were living, so that
the ancestral worship was an incessant witness of
gratitude and thanks, which has become the only real
religion of the followers of Confucius in China.

Confucius was born in 551 B.c. After his death
the gratitude of the sovereigns and the admiration of
the peoples gave him a rank almost divine. Every
city built temples to him, not as a god whom they
worshipped, but as a man whom they venerated as a
benefactor, and as the master respected by the nation
as a great saint in civil life. There are not to be
found many images or pictures on Oriental porcelain
of Confucius or his followers, for the reason stated
that Confucius simply settled a system of morality.

TAOISM.

Taoism differs from the doctrines of Confucius
in that it is a gross religion made of superstitious
local beliefs in fetishes and demons curiously
amalgamated with the higher metaphysical doc-
trines of the philosopher Lao-tseu, who was born
604 B.C. He included nearly all of the old Chinese
religions, which Confucius had reformed by taking
away its superstitions. This he did in order to
fight more advantageously against the reforms of

RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY 39

Confucius. In reality, this religion agrees with
others ; we may say that all the doctrines of all the
religions make a great difference between the beliefs
of the common people and those of philosophers and
of learned men, for in the higher sense the doctrines
of Lao-tseu and his eminent disciples were able to be
maintained without danger of comparison against
those of Confucius or the most illustrious thinkers of
ancient India. Taoism in its popular form recognised
a supreme God creator of the world, similarly named
to the God recognised by Confucianism, Thien,
Heaven, or Tien-kong, God of Heaven, but above him
he places a Trinity called the “Three Pures,” really
the “Three Pure Ones,” of whom Lao-tseu was one,
representing the spirit of knowledge or of wisdom.
Below this Trinity is found a multitude of gods,
genii, demons, spirits of Heaven, of the earth, of the
sea, of the waters, of the mountains, of the rivers, of
the provinces, of the cities, of the villages, &c., all
designated under the collective name of Chens,
“spirits.” For the most part these are ancient
heroes, literary men or philosophers deified; hence
the gods, such as the eight immortals, are often
found as images, or used as decorations, upon vases
and other pieces of Oriental porcelain. We give two
figures as illustrations.

BUDDHISM,

The earliest history of Buddha is an account of his
death written in the Pali language, four centuries B.C,
Neither this, nor any of the other histories ranging
through the ages to our own times is an authentic
story of his life and work—it is simply a legend more
or less embellished. The mythology is as follows:
Gautama, named Siddhartha, the highly gifted son of

Der

SITE LEN:
POE

tees

oe ee ey
Gnas

SILLY
heck he

:
N

Les

202 OPED

CHINESE POTTERY, ENAMELLED IN COLOURS.
Paé-yueh-kouang, Goddess of the Moon,

Tien-kong, God of the Sun,

— — SS re

RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY 41

a Thakur, or noble of the Rajput tribe, quitted his
father’s house in order to meditate upon the evil in
the world—upon its origin and its extirpation. He
went to ask the advice of two Brahmins who were
renowned for their piety, but they were unable to
satisfy his yearnings for a higher life. He rested, it
is true, faithful to their doctrines—the fundamental
truths which they taught—transmigration of souls
with a final emancipation, but he saw that their
asceticism led only to the enfeebling of the higher
powers of the mind, so he decided to find some place
where he might find peace in meditation. After a
long period spent in reflection, he decided to quit his
refuge and preach his faith. He found in Benares,
in the “ Woods of the Gazelles,” his first disciples, and
accompanied by them he journeyed through Western
Bengal, during forty-five years, honoured by princes,
loved by the people, in whose language he preached,
till he died of old age probably about 477 B.c. You
will note, later, the wzl/e cerfs decoration of Chinese
porcelain made in remembrance of this beginning of
Buddhism.

Buddha taught four truths. First, of evil. Birth,
sickness, and death produce pain, so does the separa-
tion from those we love and the desire to secure
what we cannot obtain. These joined to the know-
ledge of existence are the causes of evil. Second,
of the origin of evil. The influence of the outside
world—suggestion from outside—leads to covetous-
ness and all that sensuality brings. Third, of the
end of evil. This is only accomplished by the
complete suppression of ardent desires—self-abnega-
tion. Fourth, of the method of suppression.
Abstention from humiliating and unprofitable self-
indulgence in any form on the one side, and the
renunciation of any belief in torture which is ruinous

42 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

and vain as a means of spiritual growth. Every
being is subject to evil, nature in each is essentially
the same. Gods, demons, men, and animals are only
different degrees of existence. Humanity is the best
condition, for only man can attain salvation, he only
can obtain deliverance. Regeneration operates only
after death and is regulated by the actions done
during life. The process is secret, and only step by
step, higher and higher, does knowledge of truth lead
onwards through the path of salvation to the place
eternal—the Nirvana. Only in this blessed abode
does the soul rest free from the obligation of being
born again, of suffering without cessation the miseries,
of life.

Buddhism flourished in India during many
centuries, especially in the third century B.C., when
in the reign of king Agoka, it became missionary, but
about 1100 A.D. it was banished from that country
and spread through Eastern Asia, where it has at the
present time more than four hundred millions of
believers. In China there are eighteen principal
sects of this religion, so that it is not surprising that
the Chinese Buddhists should commemorate upon
their porcelain gods, goddesses, and religious cere-
monies of various types, especially as it adopted
local superstitions and legends, and lent pomp and
éclat to the worship of the dead. Its pliancy and
activity are still marvellous.

PORCELAIN
CLASSED

CHAPTER IV

A SKETCH SHOWING PORCELAIN CLASSED ACCORD-
ING TO THE ORDER OF THE DISCOVERY OF
COLOURS AND GLAZES

OUR first task will be to classify the porcelain
according to the order of its discovery, and in this
relation we shall be largely guided by form and
colour, which in the oldest pieces is naturally less
diversified than in the later. Perhaps the oldest
pottery is that improperly called Jdoccaro, owing to
its resemblance to the pottery which, in Portugal,
bore this name, and as we shall see presently the
Portuguese were the first to visit the land of far
Cathay. The colours on boccaro ware are very
varied—and some imitate bronze. Many coloured
enamels cover other pieces with a dense glaze which
completely hides the shape or body. These pieces
are usually moulded, but examples have been found
where the decoration has been cut with a tool in the
paste when wet. Other specimens have been carved
in the paste after it had been dried in the sun.

The second class in order of age would be white
porcelain made of kaolins from different districts,
which gave different tints to the white, and unequal
densities to the ware, some being heavy and some

light. Possibly the light ware of this period gave
45

46 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

rise to the idea of soft paste. The white itself varies
in tint from a fine creamy glaze, which is very beauti-
ful, called “dlanc de chine.” Then there is a bluish
white called “ whzte of snow,” and a plain white called
“white of flour.” The creamy white is valued very
highly by the Chinese themselves, and “Franks”
mentions an instance where a Hong Kong merchant,
after making many magnificent presents to an
English gentleman, gave him as an object of great
value a white cup of this kind enclosed in a case
lined with silk. This “Jdlanc de chine” was highly
esteemed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
especially in France and Spain. It is interesting to
notice that this kind of white ware was imitated by
the early makers of European porcelain at St. Cloud
and Chelsea, and many of these specimens of white
hard paste have been ascribed to Plymouth, which,
with Bristol, was the only factory to make hard paste
in England. The Chelsea imitation of an Oriental
teapot with raised flowers is the one which has the
noted mark of the raised anchor on a tablet.

With regard to colour applied under the glaze,
blue was the first to be so employed. Cobalt had
a facility for cohering with the body itself, therefore
it was utilised for decoration before the glaze was
applied. Sometimes the transparent white glaze
was replaced by a blue tinted glaze. In that case,
the blue decoration, applied under the glaze by
painting on the body of the ware itself, could be
easily seen through the blue glaze. Red, derived
from copper,! was applied under the glaze, sometimes
alone, sometimes with blue, forming the decoration
of two colours under the glaze. With these colours
used under the glaze, as with the blue alone, the

* This copper-red is very brilliant, and has an iridescent effect when
examined by reflected light.

PORCELAIN CLASSIFIED 47

blue tinted glaze was frequently substituted for the
transparent glaze. This red was the red derived
from copper. At about the same period the reds,
derived from iron and gold, were applied as enamel
colours upon the glaze at a lower temperature than
that used in the main kiln. The second kiln was
called a “muffle” kiln. The glaze and the enamel
colours were both melted by the heat in the muffle
kiln, but the body was not affected. Direct heat
was not required, but the melting process was
sufficient to unite the glaze itself and the enamel
colours so firmly that in some cases the coloured
enamel might be taken for the glaze. Generally,
however, these enamel colours project far enough
from the covering glaze as to be easily felt by the
finger.

Next followed the use of gold applied to decorations
on the black-—“/amzlle notre”—and green families
or on other enamels. Amongst the most beautiful of
these enamels was the green, which was applied upon
the glaze by the fire of the “muffle” furnace. This
colour was derived from copper, and is called “vert
de cutvre.’ It soon held a high place in the scheme
of decoration of vases, plates, and dishes, as well as
figures of the highest quality, and is recognised as
a distinct family, “a famille verte.” But whilst the
reds and the greens were enamelled on the glaze,
blue was still employed for decoration under the
glaze. These “/famzlles” are separately dealt with
and illustrated.

In order of the discovery of the colours next
comes violet from manganese, and the yellows from
cadmium and iron, creating a new series, which is
termed the yellow family, “la famille jaune.” All
these yellows were enamel colours, but they were
not often used alone. Sometimes there is a combina-

48 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

tion of two groups, as green and yellow or green
and red. These have been classified as “jaune verte”
and “vose verte.” We simply refer to these names
in case any of our readers should come across them
in the descriptive catalogue or in books dealing with
Oriental porcelain. Perhaps the most beautiful of
all the enamel colours applied to Oriental porcelain
is the rose, a red derived from gold. Bearing in
mind that we are roughly tracing the age of the
colours, that is, the period of their application, this
rose red would bring us to the Yung-ching and Keen-
lung periods Enriched as the Chinese potters were
by this superb tint, they simply revelled in dominat-
ing their productions with it. It is classified as the
rose family, “la famille rose.’ To these periods
belong the beautiful class of pink back plates, to
which further reference will be made later.
Onward from this time, the trading relations
between Europe and China becoming more and
more intimate, foreign influences began to make
themselves felt in the Chinese potteries; in fact, the
Europeans demanded and paid for European shapes
and European designs, so that European subjects
were reproduced with more or less fidelity, and
“armorial” porcelain, on which the arms or crests of
European families were painted in enamel on vases,
table services, and decorative pieces of various kinds.
At this period, too, we find evidences of the
influence of the Christian missionaries in China,
as shown by the religious subjects enamelled or
painted on plates, such subjects, for instance, as
“The Crucifixion” and other scenes of biblical
history. We have stated that the decoration was
modified to meet the wants of the European market,
and we note also that the various shapes were
also modified to suit that market. The Chinese

PORCELAIN CLASSIFIED 49

used saucer-shaped dishes, but these were largely
replaced, for exportation only, by dishes and plates
with rims, so that we finally reach the last class,
the porcelain called “East India Company” china,
decorated with subjects not armorial, nor scriptural,
but European. The Chinese themselves were faith-
ful copyists, imitating exactly the pattern from
which they had to work. We shall deal with this
subject more fully in a later chapter.

FABULOUS
ANIMALS
AND TWO
GODDESSES

GODDESSES

h we dealt shortly with the religions of
nead it is necessary to note in this c oe

are either scaly, winged, horned, honk
/up before rising to the tas in spring,

ees is armed with five claws on each of its —
53

54 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA —

four members, and is used as an emblem by the
Emperor’s family, and by princes of the highest
two ranks. The four-clawed dragon is used by
princes of the third or fourth class. Mandarins
and princes of the fifth rank have, as an emblem,
the four-clawed serpent. The three-clawed dragon
—the Imperial dragon of Japan—is, in China, the

re I (\ AIS —,
HG Sad y KO Byraeseea SN
ey yea 9
COO) y OO
ENED LS)

THE DRAGON,

one commonly used for decoration. The sacred
pearl, adorned with the Yang and the Yin, represent-
ing the male and female elements in nature, always
appears to be attracting the dragon.

THE UNICORN, KYLIN, OR KILIN.

The kylin, or k’i-lin, was an animal symbolising
longevity and good government. It is often found

FABULOUS ANIMALS 55

upon porcelain as a part of the decoration. Its
form is more like a deer than anything else, though
it has the hoofs of a horse and the tail of an ox.
Its head is like that of the dragon, and the body
may or may not be covered with scales, In its
mouth a bundle of scrolls or some symbol may
often be found. Other monsters, notably the
Corean lion, also called the Dog of Buddha or the
Dog of Fé, are called kylins, but the true kylin is
as described above. Though hideous in aspect,

THE TRUE KYLIN.

it shows the kindest disposition, and is so gentle
that it would not step upon a worm.

THE COREAN LION.

This animal, often miscalled kylin, is the habitual
defender of Buddhist altars and temples, hence
its name, the Dog of Buddha or the Dog of Fé.
Its appearance is almost always menacing with
its sharp, powerful teeth and claws. In reality it is a
sort of lion transformed. It has a bushy, often a

56 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

bristling, mane and a tufted tail. It is found painted
on vases, or modelled in relief on the top of the covers
for vases. When found as a figure the lion is usually
playing with a ball, the lioness with a cub, He is

ss
-

VEN

y))
Wy)
]

fae WE

“eg

¢ yy yf fy Lf TAO eS

COREAN LION OR DOG OF FO.

one of four animals representing power and energy.
The others are the elephant, leopard, and tiger.

THE FUNG-HWANG, OR PH@NIX OR Ho-Ho
BIRD.

This bird, pre-eminent for elegance and benevolence,
seems to have been a kind of pheasant, or some say
_a bird of paradise. It would neither injure living
insects nor growing herbs, but lived in the highest
regions of the air, and only descended to earth as the

FABULOUS ANIMALS 57

harbinger of good tidings—happy events to indi-
viduals, prosperous reigns to emperors. On Chinese
porcelain either one or two birds are used with a
decoration of rocks, trees, and flowers, and in such

THE PH@NIX.

decorations it is known as the Foug-Hoang, or Ho-Ho
bird. It is frequently represented carrying a scroll.
In the illustration this scroll has fillets around it.
Amongst the goddesses were two who were espe-
cially esteemed. Si-Wang-Mu, the goddess of the

58 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Kuen-lung mountains, was a being of the female
sex, the head of troups of genii who held from time
to time intercourse with favourite disciples amongst
the emperors. She is usually represented as riding
upon the Ho-Ho amongst the clouds with her
attendants, or she rests by the borders of the Lake
of Gems, where grows the peach-tree of the genii,
whose fruit confers the gift of immortality which
Si-Wang-Mu bestows upon those favourite beings
who for self-abnegation and devotion to the needs
of others have deserved to be admitted into her
presence. From this Lake of Gems, too, she sent
out winged birds with azure blue feathers who
served as her attendants and messengers.

Perhaps even more popular than Si-Wang-Mu was
Kwan-Yin, to whom full reference will be made later.
Both Si-Wang-Mu and Kwan-Yin are found as
decorations upon Oriental porcelain and also as
figures, some of the finest of which, shown in our
illustrations, date from the Ming period. The eight
Immortals will also be spoken of later. These are
found in sets of figures or in a group of eight or nine.
In the group of nine, Lao-tseu, the founder of Taoism
is the ninth figure.

KWAN-YIN. MING.

This example is very rare, inasmuch as the two attendants form a
part of the actual figure, and this, if not unique, is exceptionally rare.
The robe in this. instance is decorated with the 100 Shows or Cheous
(emblems of longevity) in black on an apple-green ground ; the cape
has a small floral design in black on aubergine with green border; the
head-dress is of brilliant green with lotus flowers in aubergine, yellow,
blue, and black; the head, neck, and hands in biscuit. The small
figure on the knee is in a yellow robe, relieved with a small design
in black; the attendant on the right of the figure has an aubergine
robe with a collar in blue ; the head-dress and peach which she carries
in her hand are in black; the attendant on the left has garments
with a small black design on a green ground ; the upper portion of the
body is in biscuit, except the hair, which is fashioned in a knob at the
back and is enamelled black. The pedestal has in the centre panel a
reserve containing a sacred carp arising from the waves; this is
enamelled in black, yellow, aubergine, and green, on a white ground,
and is surrounded with a margin of blue. The front side panels have
Joo-e-heads, from which ribbons are depending, in green, black, and
yellow, on white ground. The two back panels have chrysanthemums
and leaves in aubergine, green, and black, on a white ground.

ANOTHER KWAN-YIN. MING.

So many references are made to the goddess Kwan-Yin, and she
is represented in such a number of statuettes, that no collection of
Chinese porcelain would be complete without her. Sometimes she
is seated, at others she is standing. Often she is found in white of
various tints, but the finest specimens are painted with coloured
enamels. Here we have a most beautiful and valuable example in
enamel colours of a seated figure of Kwan-Yin. The robe is of pale
green relieved with a formal floral design in aubergine, yellow, and
black. The neck is adorned with a necklet of beads in yellow
enamel. The head-dress is of rich apple-green decorated with a
swastika in yellow and with Cheou characters in black. There are
also medallions, each containing a hawthorn leaf in green on an auber-
gine and black ground. The hair is of black enamel; face, neck,
hands, and sceptre in biscuit. The figure is supported on an oblong
pedestal, which is surmounted by an upturned lotus flower; the leaves
of this are in pale green and aubergine. The front is represented as a
sunk panel, on which is a very early diaper design in yellow, green,
aubergine, and black. The four corners are incised. The sides of the
pedestal are decorated with branches of hawthorn blossoms in green,
black, and aubergine, on a white ground, whilst on the back is a river
scene with junk, rock, trees, &c., in yellow, green, and black,
unglazed on a white ground. Ming period.

Ss |

KWAN-YIN.

The third illustration of this goddess—the queen of heaven—
shows her again in connection with the lotus, the emblem of purity,
also the symbol of creative power. The fish, too, is often associated
with her and with the gods. There was a noted carp which lived at
the bottom of Buddha’s lotus pond, but generally the carp is an
emblem of longevity, and figures of fish are amongst the charms which
frighten away bad demons. The flowers which rise from behind the
nimbus or halo round the head of the goddess is the magnolia, the
emblem of sweetness and beauty, which, like the prunus, shows its full
blossom before the leaves appear. The illustration is the model of a
shrine, the back representing a rock in rich aubergine ; this is relieved
with bamboo plants in green. In the centre, on an upturned lotus
flower, is a seated figure of Kwan-Yin in robes of green and yellow;
the other portions of her body in biscuit, as are also the leaves of the
lotus flower; under these is a giant leaf supporting the whole; on
either side of the Kwan-Yin are two male attendants, the one standing
on a lotus flower, the other on a leaf; these figures are in biscuit
relieved with green enamel. Under the figure of the goddess is a
carp in yellow enamel rising from the waves, which are in green, and

immediately in front is a sacred vessel in green enamel on an auber-
gine base.

SI-WANG-MU.

This fabulous being of the female sex, dwelling at the head of the
genii, is often represented in the decoration of Chinese porcelain,
attended by two or four young girls, either floating in the clouds or
riding on a fong-hoang, or phcenix. The illustration gives an im-
portant figure of Si-Wang-Mu. The flowing robes are decorated with
the 100 Cheous in black, and panels of flowers in rouge de fer, yellow,
and bright green. The whole of the background is of brilliant green
enamel, the reserves having a pencilled design in black on a pale blue
ground. The vest has white hawthorn blossoms on black and green.
The under-garment, which reaches to the feet, has a formal floral design
in green and rouge de fer on a brilliant yellow ground. The lining of the
sleeves is also in brilliant yellow. Around the shoulders, and reaching
to the ground on either side, are lotus stems in rich aubergine. The
hair is enamelled black, with yellow and aubergine ornaments. The
ace, hands, and feet are in a rich white glaze. The base fashioned
to represent waves in black and white on pale green; on one side
of this is a lotus bud, and on the other a large leaf. In the centre of
the back of the figure is one of the Buddhistic emblems in green and
black on a white ground. The figure is covered throughout with large
Crackle. !

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BUDDHIST DIVINITY.

Od-dpag-med, Amitdbha or Amida. Amida in the attitude of bearing
witness and holding the patra or bowl to receive alms.

The position of the hands designates the functions which are being
carried on by Buddha or by his followers at any given time. These
gestures are each illustrative of some idea, and are classified under the
name ‘‘mudras.” For instance, the hands placed over one another or
reposing wrapped up in the lap indicate meditation; the right hand
raised, left hand extended downwards, both with palms outwards,
imply teaching and charity; the same with the index fingers only
extended is a sign of the possession of the world; right hand extended
and palm outward signifies charity; fingers clasped with tips together
is the world-wide expression of adoration or of prayer for mercy ; right
palm on the leg of sitting Buddha with left palm held upwards and
outwards is the position for bearing witness; the right hand raised
palm outwards with fingers extended is the attitude of blessing; the
right hand clasping the index of the left is the habitual attitude of the
Buddha supreme and eternal; the head resting on the right palm
turned upward signifies meditation on the means of saving mankind.
Other magical or mystical positions are: Palms upwards, tips of the
thumbs and fingers of each hand touching each other, indicating teach-
ing and direction; right hand extended downwards palm outwards,
left hand closed, signifying perfection of conduct; right hand elevated
and left closed, as in the last attitude, showing love to others in active
charity. The study of the “‘mudras” is quite interesting though
unfamiliar.

THE GOD OF THE LEARNED.

Amongst the figures of the gods, in a country where literature is the
sole passport-to success, where examinations on the knowledge of that
literature lasted for days, and where the results of the examinations
meant so much, it would be quite natural that a high place should be
given to the god of literature. Here we have a magnificent specimen,
possibly worth about £4,000. It is a figure, of extraordinary size, of
Wan Chong (God of Literature). The robe, of exceptionally brilliant
green enamel, is decorated with clouds in aubergine, white, yellow, and ~
black; the centre having a large panel containing a flying stork and
clouds in vouge de fer, yellow, green, and aubergine, on a white
ground, the whole of this surrounded by a narrow margin of aubergine
and black. Above this panel, and going round the waist, is a girdle
in high relief; this is decorated with small hawthorn blossoms of vouge
de fer, raised from a ground of rich aubergine; the borders of the
garment contain hawthorn blossoms in aubergine, yellow, blue, and
black, on a deep green ground. The exposed hand, which is movable,
is of white biscuit, whilst the face is glazed in white, and the head-
dress and feet are of brilliant black enamel. Attention may be called
to the sublime expression and modelling of the features in this figure, -
which can without doubt rank as one of the finest and most important
pieces of the period.

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THE TAOIST DIVINITIES.

The first of these divinities is Lao-tseu, the founder of Taoism.
He is usually represented holding a book whilst seated on a buffalo.
He lived to a great age in a hermitage situated on a mountain side,
when one day a buffalo, ready harnessed, came where he was, and
when he had mounted it he was carried away to the west. Chang-Ti,
the god of heaven, is represented seated upon a horse and holding
a tablet. Héou Tou, goddess of the earth, appears in the dress of
anempress. The gods of the stars have various names, but they may
be found as images, and we give some of them. Sou Sing, god of the
Pole Star and of the North, is usually seated on a stool; before him lies
a tortoise enveloped in the coils of a serpent. Koéi Sing, the god of
the Great Bear, carries the writing pencil, or brush, and an ingot of
silver, symbol of the fortune which is secured by knowledge. He
also carries a bushel measure. Nan Kiun Lao, or Ché, is the incarna-
tion of Lad-tset and the god of the Southern Cross. He holds a
sceptre and rides upon a mule.

Amongst the very old statuettes may be found some that are very
ancient, dating from the Sung dynasty (960-1279). These are of
violet and blue Celadon. Fou Hi, the first Emperor of China, is a
specimen of these figures in the Musée Guimet at Paris. To him is
-ascribed the invention of agriculture and writing. Chen Noung, the
inventor of medicine ; F6, L6, and Cho, the three gods of happi-
ness, and many others.

The illustration is an exceptionally fine and rare figure of Kouan-ti,
the god of war, seated ona horse. The armour is in green with yellow
edgings, belt, &c.; the under-garments in aubergine, and black boots.
The head-dress is green. The horse aubergine and black. All the
trappings, including saddle and saddle-cloth, in green and aubergine.
Period, Ming.

WEN-TCHANG. CHIEF OF THE FIVE GODS OF
LETTERS.

A figure of the god of Wisdom; the robe decorated with clouds in
aubergine, green, and white, on a brilliant yellow ground ; the cape
on the shoulders has a gold tracery design on deep rouge de fer, whilst
at the back the ornamentation is carried out in formal flowers in
green and aubergine on a white ground; on either side of the robe are
two sacred dragons, finely drawn and enamelled in green, aubergine,
and blue; the under-garment, which reaches to the feet, is decorated
with flying storks in black and white, and peaches in rouge de fer and
green, on a plain apple-green ground, and the border has a light
pencilled design on deep green. Above the folded arms is part of
another garment, decorated in the centre with a cheou in gold on a
pink ground ; the remainder of this has small yellow flowers on stippled
green ; the left hand, which is hidden under the folds of the garment,
contains a Joo-e in gold; the head is of white glazed porcelain, the
crown in biscuit, whilst the hair, eyebrows, whiskers, beard, and
moustache are in brilliant black enamel. The third eye, which is seen
in the centre of the forehead, is supposed to represent the faculty
possessed by this deity of seeing more than any other person or god, for
with the aid of this third eye he was able to see not only what took
place externally, but to read into the innermost depths of a man’s soul,
as well as the past, present, and future. The figure is supported on
a rectangular stand, the front of which is decorated with a bold diaper
design in aubergine, yellow, and black, on a pale green ground, whilst
in the corners are Joo-e heads in yellow, green, and aubergine. The
panels at the sides have in each a large flower in yellow and
aubergine, with green lotus leaves on a white ground; in the back
panel of the upper portion of this pedestal is a large drawing of a
running dragon, which has a yellow head, aubergine tail and mane,
and a green and black body ; the four remaining panels have flowers
and leaves in green, aubergine, and yellow, on a biscuit ground.
Ming period. Possibly another form of Wan Chong.

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ANOTHER TAOIST GOD.

A figure of Piu-hwo carrying his fly-whisk, with which he was sup-
posed to have the power to revive the dead. He is represented in a
flowing robe of a brilliant brownish-black enamel. The head, fly-whisk,
hand, feet, and base in unglazed biscuit ; the features and expression
remarkably well portrayed.

The Taoist divinities are the chief objects of attention amongst
Chinese figure-makers, who in beautiful bronze and no less beautiful
porcelain commemorated the traditions of past ages. Kwan-Yin,
Amitabha, or Amida, and some others are Buddhists both in China
and Japan, but the great Taoist divinities, headed by La6-Tseut, the

' founder of Taoism, seem to be specially honoured by the potters. The

deities of heaven and earth, the sidereal gods of the constellations, the
secondary divinities, such as F6, L6, and Ché, the three gods of
happiness, and the gods of fortune and letters are all to be found
in porcelain. The eight immortals belong to the inferior rank of
Chens or Esprits. They are described in a special chapter elsewhere,
still, we must remark that in blue and coloured decoration on vases,
dishes, &c., they are constantly met with, so that it is well to be
familiar with their appearance and with theirsymbols. Han Chung-le,
the president of the pdchens, and Tsaou Kwo-kiu carry fly-whisks
beside their proper symbols, and so do the others occasionally.

There still remain the divinities of the earth, of whom Si-Wang-Mu
was the chief. The gods of the seasons, the cities, the mountains, and
the sea, all had their functions duly recognised. One word of advice is
here necessary. The old Ming figures are valuable, and forgeries are
numerous. So are the early Kang-he figures such as this.

THE IMMORTALS.

These Pa Sien are eight in number. They attained immortality in
various ways, but the eating of the peach, which is carried as an
emblem by Han Chung-le, the god of longevity, and whose fruit
confers the gift of immortality, seems to have been indispensable.
The illustrations show three figures of two of these gods bearing their
emblems.

On the right is a figure of Han Seang-tsze. This personage was
a nephew of the great philosopher, Han-Yu, who lived in the first
century. The robe is of rich green enamel relieved with medallions,
each of which contains a fabulous animal in aubergine, yellow, and
white, on very pale green ground; the collar is of aubergine with
black tracery design ; the under-garment, the skirt of which reaches to
the feet, is of yellow with a small design in black. In his right hand
he carries his flute (Tieh) ; this, as well as the hand and head, in
biscuit.

Another figure of the same god in quite a different style of decoration.
Note the flute emblem. It belongs to the same set as the next.

In the centre is a figure of Chang Ko-laou, who is supposed to
have lived in the seventh century. His robe is of aubergine, decorated
with flowers and flying birds in pale blue, yellow, white, and black ;
the undergarment, which reaches to the feet, is stippled green ground,
with a formal design in black. The head-dress is a brilliant black
enamel, as are also the bamboo tubes and rod which he carries in
his right hand ; the latter and the face are in biscuit, and the beard is
aubergine. ll of these are Ming.

BUDDHIST DIVINITIES AND HAN CHUNG-LE.

Images in porcelain of Buddhist divinities are exceedingly rare.
Gautama Buddha may be found in pictures surrounded by sixteen
Arhats and four guardians of the world. These Arhats are five hundred
in number, and the sixteen occupy a rank superior to the others, under
the name of Sthaviras, or ‘‘ the seniors.” Unfortunately, the details
of their lives are little known. In Mr. Salting’s Collection there are
a number of Arhats, which should be seen.

A pair of seated figures of Buddhistic deities. The robe of one has
an aubergine skirt, and the other bright green ; the body is orna-
mented with sacred jewels in biscuit, as are the head, hands, and feet ;
onehas the Buddhistic crown and coronet in green and yellow, whilst
the other has only a crown. Supported on pedestals fashioned as
tree trunks, on which there is a vase in aubergine and a bird in green
and white. In the centre of each panel of the base, which is of bright
green enamel, are Kylin heads, yellow in one instance and aubergine
in the other. These are early Ming.

In the middle is a figure of Han Chung-le, the first and greatest
of the Taoist immortals, who is supposed to have found the Elixir of
Life, and lived to attain the great age of 127 years. The robe is of
brilliant green enamel, decorated with flying storks and clouds in
aubergine, green, yellow, white, and black; the head and hands are
in biscuit, the flowing beard is in black, as is also the fan with which
he revived the souls of the dead. Ming of a later type.

THE TAOIST IMMORTALS.

A large arbour or shrine in brilliant green and yellow enamels. In
the various sections are the figures of the eight immortals, wearing
green, yellow, and aubergine robes; on the right-hand upper portion
is a small figure of a dove in biscuit. At the base, rising from the
waves, is a carp, and also a frog.

Although the Chinese potters had at their command an endless list
of gods, goddesses, saints, and devils in their mythology, they appear
to have loved to draw and to model the eight immortals, Kwan-Yin,
Si-Wang-Mu, and other Taoist divinities, to the exclusion of all except
a few Buddhist gods. This seems to be due to their intense desire for
a long life as the highest good. Constant use is found for the character
Show, which is written in a hundred different ways, as shown in the
robes of Kwan-Yin and Si-Wang-Mu in the illustrations of those
goddesses. Such pieces as those given here are rare, although these
divinities and the eight immortals are very often depicted on pieces in
blue and white, and on many specimens in coloured enamels. It is
curious to notice how, when they are in the heavens, they are carried
upon the clouds; when upon earth Han Chung-le and Han Seang-tse
ride upon a fan; Tsaou Kwo-kiu on a log; Chang Ko-laou stands on
a frog ; Lan Tsae-ho on her basket, and carries her symbol, the lotus ;
Leu Tung-pin stands on his sword ; Ho Seen-koo on a willow-branch,
and Le Tee-kwae sits on his gourd. Ming.

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FABULOUS ANIMALS. THE DOG OF BUDDHA, THE
DOG OF FO, OR THE COREAN LION.

The fabulous animals and birds are few; most of them are, however,
met with so frequently on porcelain that it is necessary to be quite
familiar with these fantastic creatures in order to grasp the meaning of
the Chinese decoration. The /ong-hoang, a singular and immortal
bird, is dealt with elsewhere. The animals are four in number—
the dragon, the kylin, the dog of F6, and the tortoise with a
hairy tail. The last was an emblem of longevity, and is usually an
attendant on the god of longevity. Another power was its ability to
assume various transformations, and still a third was its enormous
strength. We shall only emphasise here the differences between the
kylin and the dog of F6, to which the name kylin is so often erroneously
applied. The kylin resembles a stag in its body, whilst the dog of Fo
is much more like a lion; in fact, with its head, face, mane, teeth, and
claws, it does not require a vivid imagination to take it for a lion.
The lion and the unicorn may fairly indicate the dog of FO and the
kylin.

We show a pair of so-called kylins, the one playing with a cub
and the other holding a sacred ball; the bodies of brilliant green
enamel, with decorations of aubergine, yellow, and black ; supported
on square pedestals, the fronts having a bold diaper design, the sides
decorated with butterflies and flowers in aubergine, green, yellow, and
black, on a pale apple-green ground ; on the back of each pedestal are
four sacred emblems in aubergine, green, and yellow, on biscuit. Ming.

EMBLEMS IN BIRDS.

Amongst the symbols used in decoration a bird on a ‘perch is
frequently found. The meaning of the symbol depends upon the kind
of bird. The parrot—the speaking bird—warns women to be faithful
to their husbands. The stork and crane are emblems of longevity,
ducks and geese are types of conjugal affection, and as such they are
carried in wedding processions. Quails were valued because of their
fierceness in fighting. The magpie was a bird of good augury, which
is regarded as sacred by the present reigning family, whilst the crow
was a foreteller of evil. The peacock is largely valued for the tail
feathers, which designate official rank. A piece of coral and two
feathers indicate the promotion of a mandarin three steps at a time,
a similar coral and four feathers means five steps at a time. The
pheasant is an emblem of beauty, it is often used instead of the phoenix
or fong-hoang. Amongst the Chinese, gold and silver pheasants of
extraordinary beauty give the motif for the rich decoration of
‘*pheasant plates,” and the varieties of the colours remind them
of the duty of practising the various virtues.

Here are a pair of pheasants, the plumage in yellow, black, brown,
and green, the bodies of pale apple-green. Each bird is seated upon a
tall rock enamelled in rich olive green; this is covered with flowering
branches in high relief, or decorated in varied colour enamels. Sup-
ported on ormolu bases, Louis XVI. period. Other birds, such as
eagles, falcons, and hawks, may be found in figures or groups.
Early Kang-he.

ee 2) XU

EARLY
HISTORY OF
PORCELAIN

RBIS

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CHAPTER V1

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF
PORCELAIN

PERHAPS what we have said will inspire our readers
with the desire to know something of the origin of
the potter’s art in China. This cannot be definitely
fixed. It is lost in antiquity. Far back, centuries
before the Christian era, possibly when Egyptian
civilisation was at its height, legendary history refers
to the invention of pottery and, indeed, places the
invention of pottery thousands of years B.c. We
have no definite information as to what was made,
but we may fairly assume that in those remote times
the vessels made were only course clay, rude in form,
sun-dried or badly baked in an open fire. Then,
possibly, the first efforts at glazing were produced
and ornamented, the surface was decorated by
drawings with a stick in transverse scratches or
concentric rings, and simple bits of clay stuck on to
the soft surface formed the first applied ornament,
gradually developing, and ever far in advance of
Western barbarism. The manufacture reaches the
period where actual records were available during
the Wei dynasty, 220 A.D., when two potteries were
recorded as making porcelain for Imperial use. The

string of dynasties which follows have but slight
91

92 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

interest for the collector. The marks we give
(see Marks) range from the Sung dynasty, 960 A.D.,
to the Tsing dynasty, which came into power in
1644 and continues to the present day. Though we
read of porcelain blue as the sky, shining as the
looking-glass, thin as paper, giving a sound like a
musical stone, we could scarcely hope to find a
specimen after the lapse of so many hundred years.
Besides, if we did, the piece would be unique and
even the experts would doubt its identity. Still, the
tiny fragments of this precious ware are recognised
in China, and are so valuable that the Chinese have
them mounted as personal ornaments.

The first of the dynasties shown in our list has a
real claim for consideration, that is, the Sung dynasty,
which lasted from 960 to 1279 A.D. The Emperor
Chin-tsung, who reigned from 954 to 1007 A.D.,
adopted as his title name, or men hao, on coming
to the throne, King-te, and he founded the royal
manufactory at Chang-nan-Chin, henceforward
known as King-te-chin. This city remained for
many centuries the greatest manufactory of Chinese
porcelain. Here, then, we have definite history of a
city in the Chinese provinces of Kiang-si, with a
present population of 500,000, in which porcelain has
been manufactured for centuries, and where the
manufacturing is still carried on, although, through
wars and insurrections, the work has now and then
been suspended for varying periods. There were
numerous other factories in thirteen other provinces,
notably in Ho-nan, which had no less than thirteen.
Historical incidents occur which show that Oriental
porcelain was by slow degrees making its way West-
wards, Saladin (1137 to 1193), Sultan of Egypt and
Syria, who defended Acre for two years against the
Crusaders, sent forty pieces of finest porcelain to

EARLY HISTORY OF PORCELAIN 93

Nur-ed-din Mahmud, who recovered Syria from the
Crusaders. That celebrated Venetian traveller and
author, Marco Polo, writing in 1280, described a visit
to a Chinese factory, and stated that the porcelain
was exported all over the world. The Yuen dynasty
(1279-1367) saw the advent of Roman Catholic mis-
sionaries and Florentine traders. They came to Pekin
and Hang-chow; and far off Cathay, the land of
mystery, romance, and poetry, first made acquaintance
with the Western barbarians. We read of porcelain
of this period having been moulded, modelled, and
painted with flowers. The most noted potter, Pung,
was not famous for his own individual work of
designing new forms or inventing new colours, but
for copying the older wares, and we shall never have
an opportunity of seeing his work, which, though
beautiful, was very thin and brittle.

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VII

THE MING
DYNASTY

CHAPTER. Vit

THE MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) AND ITS
PRODUCTS

THE story of the overthrow of the Mongol dynasty
by a rebellion headed by a native named Hung-woo,
the son of a labouring man, introduces the great
Ming dynasty. This man, a former Buddhist priest,
captured Nankin in 1355, and thirteen years later
he took the title of Emperor. During this dynasty,
which lasted till 1644, the progress of the manufac-
ture of porcelain was very marked ; indeed, the Chinese
themselves are keen collectors of the Ming products,
considering them to be the finest ever made. They
scarcely exist outside the treasures of the cabinets
of princes or of the collections of mandarins.
Whether this is due to the extreme devotion of the
nation to past history and to their love of ancient
relics more than their appreciation of what we
consider beautiful, the fact remains that, in the early
times, Ming porcelain was rarely exported, so that
we have very little to guide us in determining what
is or is not porcelain of the Ming period. True, there
are the marks, but the marks were copied just as
much as the forms and decorations were. The best
periods of Ming porcelain arranged in order of merit,
and not in order of date, were Suen-tih (1426-1436),
6 97

98 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Ching-hwa (1465-1488), Yung-lo (1403-1425), Kea-
tsing (1522-1567). Ching-hwa is the first in order of
reproduction ; his mark is most frequently copied.
At about the period of Ching-hwa, Europeans were
making efforts to reach the East by sea, and in 1498
Vasco de Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope,
and thus made an opening, by which eventually trade
was carried on by sea to China. The Portuguese
were the first to settle in China in 1516. From their
factory or settlement in Macco, or Macao, at the
entrance to the Canton river, the first sea-borne
pieces of Oriental porcelain were sent to Europe by
way of the Cape. The conclusion, therefore, must be,
in view of these dates, that the earliest pieces found
in England and on the Continent were carried
overland, by camels, thousands of miles over
mountains and through deserts, till at last they
reached their European owners. The earliest porce-
lain found in England—that is, a Celadon bowl
presented to New College, Oxford, by Archbishop
Warham, and the bowls of Oriental china given in
1506 by Philip of Austria to Sir Thomas Trenchard—
came by land. The Portuguese vessels were not
content to sail only to China and to exchange its
products for those of Europe, for in 1542 they
appeared in Japan. Fernam Mendez Pinto in his
“Travels,” published in 1545, states that he and his
companions were cordially received by the Prince of
Japan. Evidently, then, at the time when Queen
Elizabeth was reigning in England the Portuguese
were pushing their trade in the East as the Spaniards
were in the West, and, as we have seen, the Portu-
guese, amongst other commodities, sent Oriental
porcelain home, and brought European products
back. They brought the Jesuits too. Christian
teachers had been at work in China for long years

PS — —

THE MING DYNASTY 99

before the Jesuits came, but the activity and know-
ledge of these gave them great influence amongst
the reigning class practically from the close of the
sixteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth century.
It is said that they had much to do with the evolu-
tion of the beautiful enamel colours of the next
dynasty, the “ Tsing,” though the evidence of this is
of the slightest. On the contrary, the development
appears to have had purely a native origin; an unusual
step, it is true, to be taken by a nation which seemed
all along the line to be reproducing earlier forms
and earlier decoration. From the period when the
vases of the Yung-lo period were in demand, painted
as they were with lions rolling a ball, with birds or
with dark blue or red flowers, we find progress being
continually made.

Suen-tih, whose reign is the most celebrated for
the production of Ming porcelain, produced very fine
examples, with flowers in pale blue, having red fish
moulded as handles. Then comes the fine colour
paintings of Ching-hwa, through which we reach the
perfection of the Kang-he in the Tsing dynasty. It
is remarkable that only a few Ming specimens seem
to have been identified with enamel colour decoration,
though in recent, indeed, quite late times, authorities
are ascribing many pieces with green and yellow
enamel set in black outline to Ming, rather than to
Kang-he. White, green, and crackle pieces are often
mentioned in the historical records.

We read that Lord Treasurer Burleigh, William
Cecil, Secretary of State for nearly forty years to
Queen Elizabeth, offered as a New Year’s gift, in
1588, to his royal mistress “one porringer of white
porselyn garnished with gold,” and another gift of
a similar kind was made to the Queen by Mr.
Robert Cecil, “a cup of grene pursselyne.” Later,

100 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

we read that amongst the effects of Lady Dorothy
Shirley were “purslin stuffe, Chinese stuffe, two
dozen of purslin dishes.”

It will be noted that it was only with the advent of
Shakespeare and the Authorised Version of the Bible
that our English spelling took anything like uni-
formity. The last note regarding Lady Shirley’s
possessions was made in 1620. In the time which had
elapsed between these records much had occurred in
the Orient. The Dutch, in 1595, sent out their first
expedition to the East Indies, and Queen Elizabeth,
not to be outdone, despatched three English ships to
China in 1596. Three years later the East India
Company was founded, a company which at first
could not trade in India or China owing to the fierce
opposition of the Portuguese and Dutch. They
therefore made their headquarters at Gombron in the
Persian Gulf. The china ware was brought overland
or by coasting vessels to Gombron, which gave the
early name “Gombron ware” to porcelain which was
universally used before the adoption of the name
“china.”

During the Ming dynasty the practice of placing
marks upon the porcelain was first adopted, though
the rule seems to have been to mark only one piece
in a set, yet the method of marking porcelain was
far from being universal or methodical. In acquiring
Ming porcelain the buyer must be especially careful.
For many centuries the old forms were copied, and in
counterfeiting the porcelain and decoration it was
quite easy to imitate the mark. Here, then, we must
once more advise the collector to rely upon sight and
touch. We have stated that it is the inspiration of
the educated eye regarding the tout ensemble which
was largely to be trusted. On the other hand it
would not be well to dispense with the necessity for

~ ,
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THE MING DYNASTY 101

actually handling the piece with the view to detecting
differences between the old and the new work. In
dealing with fine pieces there is one advantage:
they are submitted to expert after expert, whose
opinions may vary, but truth is great and will prevail.

The end of the Ming dynasty was rapidly ap-
proaching. The Tartars, with shaven head and
pigtail, were “as the storm clouds which had been
collecting for some time,” and at length they “burst
over the Empire.” The space of time between the
years 1616 and 1644, when the struggle for supremacy
between the Ming and Tsing dynasties was at its
height, leaves the identification of porcelain made

- during that period a matter of considerable difficulty.

In a national struggle, art manufactures are the first
to suffer, so that it is quite probable that only a small
output of porcelain took place during those troublous
years. In revising the Ming period note should be
made that Hung-woo preferred black, blue, and white
ornaments ; and that gold used as the decoration for
a dark-blue ground was first employed. In Yung-lo’s
time intense patches of colour were used, and there
was a development with regard to the reds; a dark
red was widely adopted. The paintings of flowers
and of birds and beasts, mainly used figuratively as
emblems, became far more delicate.

The Ching-hwa potters seem to have adopted a
delicacy and a mastery over the art of porcelain
decoration scarcely ever met with in history. It is
true that the supply of blue failed, the cobalt was of
an inferior quality, but the coloured painting reached
high perfection. The marks and designs of the
Ching-hwa period furnished unexampled opportu-
nities for copying, for although the later Kang-he
showed, without doubt, the finest blue and white with
regard to colour that was ever made, the pattern

102 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

generally adopted can be distinctly traced to Ching-
hwa.

Kea-tsing was noted for the use of enamel colours
of a beautiful depth and quality. About this time
pure white cups were made imitating white jade, but
the quality of the porcelain is inferior to many of the
other periods because one of the sources of supply of
porcelain earth failed.

Vill

THE TSING
DYNASTY

CHAPTER VIII

THE TSING DYNASTY. KANG-HE PERIOD
(1661-1722)

BEARING in mind the struggle between the Mings
and the Tartars, which lasted, as we have seen, from
1616 to 1644, we may take Shun-che (1644-1661) as
the first real Tsing Emperor. Properly, the title of
the dynasty, which has existed to our own times,
would be the Manchu, Manchoo, or Tae-tsing or
Ta Tsing dynasty, which is the twenty-second Im-
perial dynasty. The most distinguished Emperor
in connection with the manufacture of porcelain was
the second, named Kang-he, who had a long and
peaceful reign from 1661 to 1722; in fact, he is the
only Emperor who reigned for a complete Chinese
cycle of sixty years, and we shall find amongst our
marks that the sixty-first year is distinguished by
a cycle mark and not by the “‘xden-hao,”’ or name
mark. Note Fig. 1 in the marks.

Under Kang-he’s guidance the porcelain manu-
facture received an immense impetus. Many im-
provements were adopted and new colours introduced,
especially the enamel colours. Amongst the noted
potters living long before his reign were two whose
names have come down to us, although identification

of their work is impossible. The famous Pung, as
105

106 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

before noted, was an excellent potter, but he was only
copyist of old forms. Chow was a later potter who,
near the end of the Ming dynasty, also excelled in
imitating ancient vases. The work of these two old
potters were copied at first by potters of the Kang-he
period. “Franks” says: “It is probably to this reign
that we must refer most of the old specimens of
Chinese porcelain that are to be seen in collections,
even when they bear earlier dates.”

What generally were the qualifications and
characteristics of the productions of King-te-chin
in this reign? Our illustrations, which should be
read carefully, will give guidance to the careful
student regarding the Chinese porcelain that was then
produced, There seems to have been little doubt
that the three-coloured pieces, decorated with yellow,
green, and aubergine, were direct copies of the Ming
products, Aubergine is a puzzling word and requires
explanation. It is a transparent enamel resembling
the egg plant in the variation and gradation of
its colours, from grey to purple or having various
shades up to a rich brown. It will be found in
the trees, stems, and branches, forming a principal
part of the scheme of colour decoration. The black
family—* famille noire” —is of the same period. The
black may be composed of other colours, but it
is usually coated with a transparent green enamel.
Notice that there is a dull black, a mirror black,
and this black covered with green enamel. Kang-he
black will receive due attention in the illus-
trations, It is rare and very valuable.

Perhaps the finest porcelain produced during the
Kang-he period was the green family, sometimes
used with blue under the glaze. Wan-leih, the
Ming Emperor, is sometimes credited with intro-
ducing this green enamel. This, however, seems

THE TSING DYNASTY 107

very improbable, for twice in his reign the Japanese
invaded Korea, and the Tartars were always in
rebellion. On the whole the balance of evidence
points to the green family as being a genuine product
of the Kang-he period. Another product of the
same period was the green enamel used with blue
enamel over the glaze, so that it is well to note
that the fine greens which are classified as “ /amz/le
verte” are usually ascribed to this period. The blue
and white of the Kang-he period has been noted
before. The most lovely quality of this decoration
must be always referred to this period.

Whether we consider the cobalt blue asa colour,
as in the celebrated ginger jar with prunus flowers
sold at Christie’s for 5,900 guineas, or such pieces
as we show in our illustration from Mr. Duveen’s
collection, worth £2,000 each, from 1720 right down
to our own times this ware has been copied and
ever recopied, but there is something in the blue
used for decoration, something, too, in the quality
of the white porcelain itself, and again something
in the glaze, an intense brilliancy. These furnish
a combination which has never been rivalled.

The Kang-he period was noted for a very rare
biscuit Celadon, in which the surface of the panels
in relief is unglazed, though the remainder of the
decoration is blue under the glaze. Another fine
quality of porcelain was that with archaic decoration
having conventional flowers and bands in black and
green. The marks of the Kang-he period vary.
In the earlier part of his reign the double blue
circle and the Kang-he xzen-hao are frequent, but
collectors must note that many specimens of this
period have no date mark at all. If the two blue
rings are used there are no letters inside. The
reason of this is rather curious. In 1677 the

108 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

superintendent of the works gave an order to the
factories at King-te-chin, in which he forbade the
inscription of the Emperor’s name or the characters
which gave the history of their sacred great men.
This order was given because it was thought that
if the porcelain was broken it would be reflecting
upon the honour of the Emperor or of these
sanctified persons who were represented not alone by
inscriptions, but by paintings used in the decoration.
However, this law did not remain in force for a very
long period. When a piece is found with empty
rings or with the symbol marks of the fungus leaf,
&c., it can be assigned to a few years later than 1677.
The importation to Europe had reached considerable
dimensions before this.

We read that in 1664 nearly 50,000 pieces of
rare Japanese china were imported into Holland
and about 17,000 more of various kinds from
Batavia by the Dutch East India Company. In
this connection the rivalry between the Dutch and
the Portuguese must be noted, because it affected
the Oriental trade in porcelain very considerably.
Stirred up by the Dutch, the Japanese, in 1640,
excited by their fears of the ultimate designs of
the Portuguese and the Spaniards, who had later
appeared upon the scene, banished them in favour
of the Dutch. Some thousands of Christian converts
were massacred, and the Dutch were fully established
at Nagasaki, where they laid the foundation of that
progress towards Western civilisation to which the
world, and especially Japan, owes so much.

THE YUNG-
CHING
PERIOD

Me 0 tyi pe
Re a al,

CHAPTER IX
THE YUNG-CHING PERIOD (1723-1736)

THE Yung-Ching period (1723-1736), though only
thirteen short years, was peculiarly noteworthy,
because the Emperor himself took a_ personal
interest in the Imperial factories at King-te-chin,
and also in the head of the establishment, Hien-Hsi-
yao, who, in 1727, was entrusted with the manage-
ment. In porcelain much depends upon the potting,
and in the actual potting the products of Yung-Ching
were far superior to any that had before appeared.
The drawing, too, was in every way better, the
colours, though not so brilliant, showed such care and
taste in blending that even the fine “famille verte”
suffers by comparison. As a rule, the decoration
was so applied that the porcelain could be admired—
that is, the whole surface was not covered by the
ornamentation. In some of the smaller pieces the
result of this plan is beyond all praise. Only one
product suffered. The blue was far inferior to that
of Kang-he.

We have already praised the quality of the
cobalt applied as decoration to vases, ginger jars, &c.,
of the Kang-he period. As if to balance this default
the rose colour from gold was discovered, which gave

birth to the rose family, “/amzlle rose.” Other products
1

112 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

which had their beginnings in this reign are worthy
of notice. First there was a black decorated with
colour, mainly with arabesques or curl work. The
porcelain was of fine quality and the scheme of
colour so subdued as to be entirely pleasing to
the eye, the black being relieved by pattern in
faint green and further decorated in white, pale
yellow, and aubergine of such an admirable character
that one wonders why Yung-ching porcelain is
not more appreciated. Still the rose decoration
begun so successfully in this period, under the
succeeding Emperor, received such attention as
placed it in the front rank of Oriental porcelain
In fact, we may say more. Collectors of the rose
family care nothing for Ming with its greens and
yellows, nothing for Kang-he with its “/amzlle verte”
and black, but they esteem and value above all
the “famille rose,’ the Yung-ching chef @euvre,
which we shall deal with later when we come
to Keen-lung. The pieces of the Yung-ching
period, decorated with blue under the glaze with
enamel in colour over the glaze, exhibited the
same distinctive features which typical china of
this period showed—that is, excellent potting and
a skilful blending of the under-glaze blue with
the enamel colours over the glaze. There is this
noteworthy distinction, too, the decoration on the
backs of bowls and dishes is almost equal to that
on the front. This is a helpful hint, to which careful
note should be given.

Perhaps one of the most puzzling and at the
same time interesting forms of decoration was the
blue used in conjunction with peach bloom. These
specimens were ornamented with combinations of
three lines either long or bissected, called the Pa-kwa,
the single mark forming a trigram essentially male

THE YUNG-CHING PERIOD 113

if the long lines were in the ascendant, and female
when the half lines were most numerous. The later
marks or symbolical devices will deal more fully
with the Pa-kwa. Peach-bloom was undoubtedly
first introduced in the reign of Kang-he, and the
really valuable and fine examples belong to this
period only. It is altogether a misleading term
to those who are not experts, who expect to
find the delicate pink of the peach blossom or
flower. Peach bloom is nothing of this kind.
Imagine a dark reddish brown of unusual but
beautiful tone pierced through its surface in flecks
of dark green and spots of pink such as the flower
would be when the first touch of spring coaxed
it from the dark-coloured sepal with flecks of green
and a touch of pink. It is the colour of the bud
when the peach begins to bloom, not the pink
of the peach blossom so prettily tinted with yellow.
Peach bloom and “clair de lune” are the two very
finest self-colours which take precedence even of
“sang de beuf.’ We shall have occasion to occur
to this again in the chapter on self-colours,

The next class is black with coral red under the
glaze; in fact, two colours are found under the
glaze in the Yung-ching period, blue and red, The
red is of a brilliant tone, not so striking as the red
from gold, but still very lovely in its combination
with blue. Sometimes these two are used together
with added enamel colours, but frequently in under-
glaze decoration that favourite ornament, the five-
clawed dragon in pursuit of the crystal ball or pearl,
may be found. The circular device ball or pearl
showing the Yang and the Yin, signs for the
male and the female elements in nature, were at
this period raised on the surface, and in over-glaze
enamels both the waves and the clouds were tinted

114 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

with various shades of green and purple and aubergine
edged with black.

We have already referred to the rose family, in
which the enamel decoration was most carefully
and artistically carried out in all its detail. The
preponderating influence was a brilliant rose colour
accompanied by green, yellow, and blue, all in
enamel colours, which were not less striking because
still subordinate to the beautiful pink. When waves
were used in the decoration they were of a charming
sea-green Celadon enamel. The blue painted under
the glaze has already been referred to as being
inferior in quality, in colour and brilliance to the
products of Kang-he. In fact, we must repeat that
no blue and white was ever equal to the Kang-
he ginger jars and vases decorated with the prunus
pattern, usually called the hawthorn, with the lip
unglazed on the outside and partly glazed on the
inside.

Present day potters produce blue and white
ginger jars, but the blue of Kang-he is unapproach-
able, the paste is exquisite, and the glaze is in-
comparable, The Yung-ching potters did well in blue
and white, and the blues, though less brilliant, were
very bright and pleasing. The distinctive feature
of the period is that the borders of the vases were
incised after the manner of the Ming blue and
white, a pattern which appears at no other periods.
Let us try to explain this. About an inch from
the top of the vases there is an incised pattern,
a pattern cut in double incised lines, altogether
forming a band about half an inch wide. A similar
incised band is found round the base. Yung-ching
blue, and white often has a decoration of rocks,
waves and curious conventional ground in blue of
a carefully painted peach-tree springing from the

THE YUNG-CHING PERIOD 115

rocks, painted blossoms of a rich red tone with
reddish or yellowish brown spots distributed over
the white as if to emphasise the form of the decora-
tion. The contrast between the delicacy of the
detail is striking when compared with the broad
treatment of the Kang-he period. On the one hand
there is fine stipple work. This is Yung-ching. On
the other hand there is a broad, bold wash of
colour. This is Kang-he. One of the most effective
forms of decoration is what is widely known as
powder or powdered blue, in which the cobalt was
sprayed through gauze or dabbed either upon the
whole surface, or upon all of the surface except that
which by mechanical means was reserved. Students
of Oriental china will often come across the expres-
sion “painted in reserves or compartments.” By
this is meant that the scheme of decoration of the
whole surface has been so far modified that certain
panels have been left in white for further decoration.
Hence we get reserves of various shapes with
varying decorations — powder blue vases with
reserves decorated in blue; powder blue vases with
reserves decorated in “ famille verte,” and so on. The
apparently granulated surface of the powder blue
is due to the colour having been blown through
the fine gauze or dabbed on the whole portion that
was not reserved.

Celadon was brought to great perfection in this
reign. Not only the various tints of green usually
known by that name, and not only the brilliant
white Celadon glaze with raised decoration in which
a Celadon green is effectively employed, but various
glazes in which the colour, being applied in the glaze,
was included in the same term Celadon. The
decoration, often floral, was noted for its subdued
tones of pink, mauve, red, and orange. Vases of the

116 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Ming dynasty, especially the Suen-tih and Ching-hwa
periods, were copied and recopied in every detail.
Beautiful bowls were largely made with Celadon or
coral grounds, with figures or other ornaments in
coloured enamel; sometimes reserves or compartments
in white had special treatment of figure decoration.
Other specimens imitated jade or agate or cornelian
or some other stone. The well-known pale green
Celadon is the only one known to the trade by the
name Celadon. Red or blue Celadons would be
classed under self-colours.

We have noted the green family, “/am7lle verte,”
of Kang-he. The Yung-ching products of the
same class differ from it in the quality of the
colours used. The green enamel itself was much
thinner and not so brilliant; it often had a biue
shade, but it too was applied as an enamel in con-
junction with the under-glaze blue decoration.
Instead of the reds from copper the reds from iron
were effectively used. A colouring like the red of
rusty iron was used in several shades, ranging from
an orange red toa bright orange, or even to a salmon
pink. Other colours in soft tones were used, but
a chief point to remember is that whilst the design
was usually drawn in blue under the glaze, all the
enamel colours were applied over the glaze, so that
a blue tinge is conspicuous, and it is a help to
identification.

A reference was made earlier to the rose family.
This was a red from gold, and perhaps its highest
development is seen in the brilliant ruby-back plates of
the Yung-ching and Keen-lung periods, This colour
had its origin in Yung-ching’s short reign, and the
shades of it vary from pink to purple. As enamel,
the rose colour is most wonderfully applied to flowers,
drapery, &c., and really it is far more decorative

THE YUNG-CHING PERIOD 117

than the green, the powder blue, or indeed any other
colour. It has their artistic merit, and the additional
one of being a soft and most attractive tint, if green
represents the leaves, rose pictures the flowers; and
perhaps the most lovely combination is “vose verte,”
where both of these are used in harmony.

THE
KEEN-LUNG
PERIOD

patio

CHAPTER X
THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD (1736-1795)

DURING the first seven years of the reign of this
Emperor there was but little variation in the character
of the porcelain manufacture at King-te-chin. In
1743, however, a new director was appointed to the
works—Thang-ing—who continued the high quality
of the manufacture of the two previous reigns, and
brought the rose family to the most perfect state.
Indeed, though the European influence exerted by
the Jesuits may possibly have been more powerful
than before, yet no European china quite reaches
the glowing brilliance of these Chinese vases and
dishes. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
and Chelsea tried to copy the rose colour, the result
being the fine claret colour of the Chelsea china.
Sévres came nearest with the Rose du Barri, but,
after all, the lover of old Oriental porcelain devotes
all his energies to the acquisition of specimens made
and decorated in the old times, imitations perhaps
of very early Chinese products, but perfectly Chinese
in instinct and impression.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to separate Keen-
lung china from Yung-ching in unmarked pieces
before the full developement of the “vose famille,”

but the reign of Keen-lung was so much longer
121

122 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

comparatively, and during the period the porcelain
manufacture was so active, that it will be safe to
ascribe the fine specimens of this rose family to it
as well as to Yung-ching, when the invention of
the rose enamel took place. In the last reign
we considered, but only shortly, this “ famzlle rose.”
The exquisite delicacy of these specimens lies in
the combination of an elaborate, but refined, style of
decoration in which the painting was most artistic,
with the graceful shapes of the pieces themselves.
There are other types, bolder in colour, broader in
execution, and, it may be, equally beautiful. Take,
for example, a vase ; its body would be covered with
large sprays of flowers in rose, yellow, and other
enamels, but the rose predominates and gives an
effect which is very rich and striking. Chrysanthe-
mums, peonies, irises or flags, anemones, pumpkin
vines with flowers and fruit—all these were in common
use with birds and butterflies, fishes and insects no
less finely coloured, and, as it were, thrown up into
relief by the use of black with that transparent green
enamel which we have before described, and here and
there a black spot is applied for the same purpose
of enhancing the value of the coloured enamels.
The porcelain body of the Keen-lung period is very
fine and white, many of the specimens having a style
of painting peculiar to the Chinese artists of this
period. Flowers such as those we have mentioned—
the chrysanthemum, peony, and rose—seem to be
ribbed, as if when the enamel was not quite dry a tool
was used for the purpose of breaking up the enamel
and in this way getting finer effects from reflected
light. The porcelain itself sometimes assumed
a wavy appearance, such as would be left by the
potter’s fingers when the piece was turned on the
wheel. A similar wavy appearance is found on

THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD 123

characteristic pieces on Bristol hard paste porcelain
when turned upon the wheel.

Amongst the rarest decoration of this class of
porcelain in this period is what is called “ m//e fleurs.”
In this class the whole surface is covered with a thou-
sand flowers in variety painted exquisitely in enamel
colours of every conceivable hue. Yet though the
colours are so varied there is nothing but the most
pleasing and harmonious effect. Pale lilac, reds and
yellows, alternate with delicate shades of greys and
blues. When the panels are left in reserves, a figure
decoration is freely applied to them, and the figures
depicted represent the spirits of the flowers. On the
bases, which are covered with pale sea-green enamel,

are found the square seal marks of the Emperor Keen-

lung. It is scarcely possible to have the privilege
of seeing such perfect work of Ceramic art, but the
collection of the late Mr. W. G. Gulland, of Brunswick
Terrace, Hove, was especially rich in “ lle fleurs”
pieces.

The class allied to this, but probably later in date,
is “mille cerfs”—that is, a decoration consisting of
numberless deer ranging in a forest. The colour
is not nearly as brilliant as in the “mz/le fleurs” class,
though the same wavy porcelain is to be noted. The
green, bluish in tone, like the greens of the Yung-
ching period, are harmonised with browns ; in fact, the
aubergines merge into sepia or brown. The hills
are green and brown with some hilltops in blue
enamel. The birds are painted quite thinly in rather
dull reds. This glaze could be fairly described as
late “famille verte.” In this period the Celadons
show considerable advance. Celadons were produced
late in the Ming and early Kang-he periods, and cover
a range of tints which are difficult to describe, as we
have seen in the case of peach bloom and “clazr de

124 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

lune.” The “sang de beuf” is also difficult to
describe, so that a pilgrimage should be made to any
Museum which has a genuine specimen. For instance,
in the British Museum, Oriental Section, in the centre
of a large cabinet, there is a small bottle-shaped vase
which is a real “sang de beuf, a glaze of a brilliant
colour shaded towards a deeper claret and the base
shading away into a pale yellow, pink towards the
lip, which retains the soft, natural tone of the body or
paste. Then just below the neck the “sang de beuf”
seems to glow with the intensity of the ruby, just
before it falls from the shoulder of the piece towards
the base. Other colours of this period are known as
pigeon’s blood and chicken’s blood, crimson, crushed
strawberry, and so on. To nearly all of these colours
the remarks which apply to the shading of the “ sang
de beuf” can be noticed upon the specimens them-
selves. Here the glaze starts at the top of the vase
or vessel; there is a yellowish tinge, and the colour
has several gradations until it ends at the base,
These reds originated in the late Ming period,
reached high excellence under Kang-he, and con-
tinued through Yung-ching’s reign, and under Keen-
lung maintained their high perfection.

The Keen-lung red Celadon has a somewhat blue
shade when the light is reflected at an angle. It is
well to remember that all those colours which are
called Celadon, or self-coloured, have the tints mixed
in the glaze. Besides the reds, there are blues of many
shades, violets, mauves, &c.—in fact, any colour that
could be applied in the glaze was used as the sole
decoration of fine porcelain. It is true that in many
of the fine vases the body is moulded with flowers or
dragons or other patterns, yet the glaze was a whole
glaze and therefore Celadon. Notwithstanding this,
the Celadon surface was itself frequently decorated

THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD 125

by designs in enamel colours outlined in black. As
we have before shown, it is easy to know whether a
piece is decorated with Celadon or with enamel,
because all enamel colours stand out from the glazed
surface to which it is applied, and by passing the
fingers over the decoration the enamel can be felt.
This brings us to certain facts that must be re-
membered.

Enamels, like Celadons, may be of any colour.
They are always burnt in so as to amalgamate with
the cover glaze, even if that cover glaze be itself
coloured and therefore Celadon. Also there are but
a few colours which can be applied before glazing,
that is, upon the paste or body directly. We have
seen that blue and red were so applied. This
brings us to the other development. The Keen-lung
class of blue and red under the glaze was derived
from that discovered in the Yung-ching period. Its
application was developed with surprising skill by
the finest workmen, so that the application of copper
red under the glaze, in combination with blue, gave
splendid opportunities for these artists to display
their pre-eminent skill for freehand drawing in
applying designs upon the biscuit porcelain before
the glazing took place. If, for example, you pass
your hand over a piece decorated under the glaze,
you will find a surface perfectly smooth, the colour
has sunk into the paste.

The next note is worth remembering, because it
may be applied as a practical test to distinguish
between the old and the modern blue under the
glaze. This test of modern blue is to be found with
the finest strokes, whereas in the old work each
stroke is perfectly smooth or uniform in its outline,
never laboured, never hatched, but simple strokes
which plainly follow the American plan of never

126 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

taking three strokes when one stroke will do. Most
of the modern work reveals a tiny blue dot at the
pull-off of the fine hair brush or pencil. The drawing
and writing of the Chinese was always done by
means of a pencil held perfectly upright by the
fingers, so that by examination of the pencil marks
it is quite easy to see whether the blue lines have
inequality, especially at the point where the brush is
removed, and our readers may detect forgeries of the
old marks as well as the old drawings by noticing
this blue dot at the end of the stroke. It is never
found upon an old piece.

The coral red family, which belongs peculiarly to
this period, is extremely pleasing, and a very fine
result is secured when used with blue under the
glaze, leaving the design outlined in red, so that the
red, white, and blue harmonise perfectly. But the
coral red was also used under the glaze as a ground
colour. Then it was thickly powdered with white
chrysanthemum leaves and flowers, and it had white
reserves often decorated with sprays of conventional
white lotus, chrysanthemums, and magnolia. The
Chinese varied the colours in their decoration with
wonderful effect. Blue under the glaze was, as we
have seen, associated with reds under the glaze, but
it was quite effective with enamels over the glaze,
and we may take this as the next class of the period.
The design, or any part of it, was applied to the
paste, then the piece was glazed and fired so that on
coming from the kiln it was simply a white porcelain
piece having blue, or red and blue, decoration under
the glaze. Then enamel colours were used to com-
plete the design, such as green enamels with the blue
designs showing through them and. thin dull reds
under the glaze, as before noted, whilst the rest of
the piece was coated with decoration in yellow, blue,
or even white enamel colours.

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THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD 127

Perhaps the most—and here adjectives fail:
charming, lovely, famous are words which arise
in the mind—ruby, pink, rose eggshell plates really
should be seen rather than described. These all
belong to the “famille rose.” But eggshell was not
confined to this family. Dated specimens seem to
indicate that the two earlier reigns had seen the
origin and progress of this beautiful ruby porcelain,
but there is no doubt that many of the finest of the

' marked pieces belonged to the Keen-lung period,

though Yung-ching produced excellent specimens.

Let us give a few examples from the sale-rooms.
But first we could wish that all who will read this
chapter could betake themselves to the Victoria and
Albert Museum, to the British Museum, to Duveen’s
or Gorer’s in Bond Street, and see for themselves
what Chinese eggshell plates really are. The Salting
Collection in the Museum at South Kensington has
very fine specimens, and the British Museum has
similar specimens in two flat cases, which, unfortu-
nately, do not allow the full value of the ruby back
to be appreciated. At Duveen’s there are two cases
filled with the loveliest specimens ranged before a look-
ing-glass, which enables the visitor to see both the
design on the front of the plate and the lovely colour
at the back.

It is surprising, and yet not astonishing from
the point of view of the collector who will have
the best, to notice the prices which have been paid
for these plates, which are quite small, ranging from
7 in. to 84 in. diameter. A few examples will help
in enabling us to estimate their value. One eggshell
plate, enamelled with chrysanthemums and a sparrow,
and with sprays of peonies round the border, on pink
diaper-pattern ground, 8 in. in diameter, sold at the
sale of Louis Huth’s Collection for £105. The other

128 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

prices realised at the same sale are no less striking.
Saucer dishes, pair, eggshell, with ruby backs,
enamelled with branches of chrysanthemums and
peonies on a white ground, 8 in. in diameter, sold for
#80, but a better pair, enamelled with cocks and
peonies in the centre on white ground, with pale
green trellis border, 7$ in. in diameter, realised £400.
One saucer dish, enamelled with a pheasant, quail
and peonies in the centre, and a pale green marble
border with pink prunus blossom, and three panels
containing flowers, 8 in. in diameter, brought 4135.
The first and last of these were not pink-backed, but
they were certainly beautiful.

Other eggshell plates at the same sale with
ruby backs, which we will describe shortly, even
at the risk of appearing monotonous, were: one
enamelled with ladies and children in the centre,
diaper border, with three panels of flowers,
83 in. in diameter, which realised 4150; another,
enamelled with quails and chrysanthemums in the
centre, with pink and green diaper borders and
three panels of flowers, 4155; another, enamelled
with a lady and two children by a table, in a leaf-
shaped panel, on gold ground, with border of various
coloured diapers, 84 in. in diameter, £200. Two
saucer dishes, enamelled with peonies and persimmon
fruit in the centre, and shaped border of diaper
ground, the border on green ground, with pale pink
trellis edge, 7% in. in diameter, £310. A similar pair,
but enamelled with ladies and children and vases in
the centre, on a white ground, with pale green trellis
pattern border, and three panels of black, 72 in. in
diameter, fetched the same price, £310. The gem
of the whole collection was a plate, finely enamelled
with a group of ladies and children, vases and utensils
in the centre, with seven borders of various diapers

Oe
a

THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD 129

and small panel of flowers, 84 in. in diameter,
£280. ,

The plate with the seven borders is the most
famous of these eggshell ruby-back plates. The
centre panel or reserve is leaf-shaped, having in
enamel colours, very delicately painted, a lady seated
with two boys; near her is a table on which are
books ; vases behind her and two vases on her left.
This panel is surrounded by six diaper borders of
various widths, of which the two chief are a deep
ruby, interrupted by four reserves in blue enamel,
and the other a pale lilac with four reserves enclosing
flowers. Between reserves are four dragons in white.
The diaper around the leaf is the seventh border.
There are other diaper patterns in the five and four
border plates which have in the leaf-shaped central
panel a decoration which is very similar. Some, how-
ever, of these eggshell plates have no diaper work,
the sole decoration consisting of two cocks, beauti-
fully enamelled, near rocks and foliage. Indeed,
these birds are often found in plates with borders.
Similar eggshell plates may have landscapes or flowers
as the central decoration with or without diaper
borders. The name ruby back is given to these
plates because the whole of the back, excepting the
centre inside the rim, is enamel with a beautiful ruby
tint. Indeed, we may say that these plates are
amongst the very finest creations of the Yung-ching
and Keen-lung periods. To the eggshell china
belong the delicate Mandarin vases which, probably,
were made for exportation.

MANDARIN
PORCELAIN

we ae

CHAPTER XI

MANDARIN PORCELAIN—KEEN-LUNG PERIOD
(1736-1795) AND LATER

A MANDARIN is a Chinese official, either civil or
military, but the word itself is not Chinese. It is
a name given indiscriminately by foreigners to
designate any Chinese official of whatever rank. The
recognised official grades of mandarins are nine, each
distinguished by its dress. The so-called button on
the hat—the mandarin button—is conspicuous. It
is really a very valuable jewel, and, like the rest of
the dress, is worn under precise regulations. It will be
interesting to notice how the mandarin’s rank is shown
by the dress. The coats were always embroidered
with gold and were of coloured silk.

In the first order, the button on the hat was a bead
and above that an oblong button of transparent ruby
red—transparent red. The coat was violet, with a
square plaque on the breast and back decorated, in
the civil class with a pelican, in the military class
witha kylin, whilst the belt was ornamented with four
agate stones set in rubies. In the second class, the
button was a red coral button resting on the ruby
bead—ved opaque. The coat had embroidered plaques
decorated with a hen for the civil class, and a lion

for the military class. The belt was ornamented
133

134 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

with four embroidered plaques with rubies. The
third class had a sapphire button—d/ue transparent.
The coat had embroidered plaques decorated with
peacock’s plumes, each feather having only one eye.
The symbolical peacock represented the civil class,
and the panther the military class. The belt was
ornamented with four plaques of worked gold. In
the fourth class an azure-coloured button of lapis
lazuli—dlue opague—rested uponasmallsapphire bead.
The coat had embroidered plaques decorated with
the crane for the civil, and the tiger for the military
mandarins. The belt was ornamented with four
plaques and a silver button.

The fifth class had a rock crystal button—zw/z¢e
transparent—resting on the small sapphire bead ;
the embroidered plaques were decorated with the
white pheasant for the civil, and the bear as the
symbolical emblems. The belt was similar to the last
class. The sixth class had a button of white polished
opalescent shell—zwhzte opague—with a blue feather.
On the embroidered plaques of the coat were the
emblems of a stork for the civil, and a little tiger for
the military divisions. Four tortoise-shell plaques
and a silver button ornamented the belt. The seventh
class had a button of plain gold—yelow brilliant—on
a crystal bead. The embroidered coat had a part-
ridge for the decoration of the civil division, and a
rhinoceros for the military. The belt was ornamented
with four round silver plaques. The eighth class had
two buttons, one upon the other, of worked gold—
yellow opaque. The embroidered plaque of the coat
bore the quail as the symbol of the civil division, and
the stork as the symbol of the military division.
The belt had four ram’s head plaques and a silver
button. The ninth or last class had the second
button of worked silver—dlank opaque. The em-

MANDARIN PORCELAIN 135

broidered coat showed the sparrow as the emblem of
the civil mandarins, and the sea-horse as the emblem
of the military. Four black horn plaques and a silver
button decorated the belt.

It will be seen that Chinese porcelain decorated
with figures such as these dressed in their robes
received the name of Mandarin china. The actual
word comes from the Portuguese “ Mandar, to com-
mand.” Much could be said upon the subject of
Chinese dress, as applied to porcelain in decoration,
but it is only necessary to contrast the style of the
Ming and the Tartar dresses,

The Ming long, flowing robes are held up with
sashes, and the hair, turned up over the head, is either
covered with a soft head-dress or with the Court
ceremonial head-dress.

The Mandarin dress of the Tartar shows the robe
principally, but there are besides the pantaloons and
the high boots with thick soles. The hair is dressed
in pigtail fashion, for from their earliest youth the
Chinese children are shaved. The boys are shaved
all over the head except at the top, and in the case
of girls two tufts are left, one over each ear. These
facts, while furnishing no actual clue to the age of
Mandarin china, showed that at least it could not
have been manufactured before the Tartars came
into power in 1644. Probably the date of its manu-
facture is later.

We can understand that these Tartars, who
had enforced their own dress upon the conquered
people, but who had at the same time adopted
their religion, would continue copying the holy
persons such as the eight immortals, the genii,
&c., in the same dresses which had been in use for
hundreds of years. More than this, there seems to
bea strong element of truth in the statement that

136 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

the Mandarin decoration was due to the desire of the
European traders to carry home porcelain which
should illustrate the people, and the style and the
colour of their clothes. If this is so, then the Yung-
ching period would be the first in which Mandarin
china was produced. At any rate we do know that
most of it was made in Keen-lung’s reign, and that
the potters of the later Emperors, to our own times,
have been manufacturing large quantities for com-
mercial purposes.

In Mandarin china the figures vary in boldness
and in general character, but the colouring is of one
class—pinks, reds, yellows, blues, and greens, so dis-
tinct in tone as to receive the name of Mandarin
colours. The decoration of this kind of china
includes boys and men at games, such as kite-flying ;
warriors fighting, marching, or resting; men and
children in' masks; figures walking, riding on horses
or on vehicles ; lantern shows with scores of people,
besides many other designs. This Mandarin decora-
tion is associated with great varieties in the ground
colours and patterns. Such are the swastika ground,
the red ground, the blue ground mottled over the
glaze, and the scroll ground. There are also many
diaper patterns and a variety of borders of flowers,
butterflies, dragons, sometimes in low relief, whilst
often examples are met with in which the vases are
recessed so as to furnish a flat surface in which the
decorative painting of figures, flowers, and birds lies
flat in a shaped compartment or reserve, which may
be joo-e-shaped, leaf-shaped, kakemono-shaped, or
makemono-shaped. In studying the vases given as
illustrations these varieties of shaped panels should
be noted, as they are constantly used in catalogue
descriptions of the decoration. Amongst the most
beautiful vases of this period are the conical-shaped

MANDARIN PORCELAIN | 137

eggshell vases with short necks, covered with the
most delicate scroll work in gilt, having large reserves
decorated with Mandarin figures painted with the
utmost delicacy, and the small reserves with rose
and other flowers most carefully drawn.

The question has been raised as to whether transfer
printing as a mechanical process was ever applied to
Oriental porcelain, In England, Dr. Wall, of Wor-
cester, is said to have invented transfer printing as
early as 1751, and Sadler and Green, of Liverpool,
lay claim to the honour of its discovery at about the
same time, whilst on the Continent a similar honour
is claimed for the factory at Marieberg in 1760.
There is no proof that any blue and white Oriental
china, except during the most recent times, was ever
decorated on a transfer-printed ground. All of the
blue and white Nankin and Canton ware was painted
by hand under the glaze. When we consider the
immense amount of labour necessary to keep up
the supply of porcelain to Europe, and also to the
United States early in the nineteenth century, it is
astonishing that no process work showing transfer
printing can be discovered, although the invention
must have ‘spread to China before 1796 when Keen-
lung died.

We shall treat of “dlanc de chine” later, when we
discuss the colours of Oriental china, but it must be
remembered that most of the Chinese ware of this
type was made during this period. Such were the
statuettes of Kwan-Yin and many other gods and
goddesses. This cream-white porcelain may date
from any period even before Kang-he. The earliest
specimens are distinguished by being transparent,
although thick, and by the creamy smoothness of
their glaze. Some authors, however, ascribe the
origin of this ware to the Keen-lung period.

XII

KEA-KING,
TAOU-KWANG,
AND THE
LATER
EMPERORS

CHAPTER XII

KEA-KING, TAOU-KWANG, AND THE LATER
EMPERORS

KEA-KING (1796-1821).

WHEN any country is disturbed by internal divisions
or by external invasion, the inhabitants pay less and
less devotion to art. The reign of this king was
certainly disturbed. The people suffered from mis-
rule, and though the traditions of the Chinese potters
did still keep up, in a measure, the high standard of
the previous reign, the neglect of the governing
bodies, of the Emperor and Court, took away much
of their devotion to the development of the porcelain
so-conspicuous in Keen-lung’s reign. The porcelain,
however, remained good in the quality of its paste,
and now and then it reached excellence with regard
to the decoration, which became characterised by
conventional designs. Coloured enamels and gold
were largely used for ornamentation, the turquoise
blue, “famille rose,’ and a good blue-green were
conspicuous. Mandarin china still continued to be
made, though the modelling was comparatively
clumsy and the paste thick, still, however, having the
wavy surface always noticeable in Mandarin china,
which was, as. we have said, largely made for the
141

142 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

European market. The influence of Western art
made itself felt in the decoration. Many scenes were
painted with European subjects, especially in the
small reserves or vignettes. Some of the finest forms,
too, of the early Sévres and early Wedgwood and
Adams’ styles were copied and decorated with
festoons of raised husks with a landscape in a
medallion. This wavy porcelain seems to be specially
connected with a comparatively thick blue enamel
and a style of decoration usually called Lowestoft.
Of course it is not Lowestoft. Lowestoft was
a soft paste porcelain imitating early Bow and
Worcester. The porcelain of the Keen-lung period,
then, might be named the porcelain of commerce.
European forms of pieces not used by the Chinese
themselves are often found. The process seemed to
have been something like this. The East India
Company, all the captains and officers of the East
India Company’s ships, when visiting China took
with them orders for services to be decorated with
crests or armorial bearings, with English landscapes,
or with sporting or religious subjects. Blue and
white was made in vast quantities owing to the
demand from Europe. It needs but one sentence
of description. It was poor. About this time the
Chinese potters copied the Japanese. Imari ware,
with its flowers in conventional forms, various Cela-
dons in blue, lilac, grey-white on good fine porcelain,
are traced to this reign. Perhaps it was most
celebrated for the reproductions of the porcelain of
earlier periods in which both pattern and mark were
constantly recopied.

TAOU-KWANG (1821-1851).
In this period there was a special development of

the enamelled rice bowl, although beautiful vases so’

TAOU-KWANG 148

decorated with enamel as to cover the whole surface
are not uncommon. The use of two shades of green
produces a very pleasing and comparatively new
effect. Unfortunately, the Chinese potteries, as in
the previous reign, seemed to have devoted much of
their time to reproductions. The rice bowls were
often decorated in graviata, graffito, or sgraffito
patterns, in which the enamel was scratched with a _
point into a variety of twists and turns, forming
beautiful variations from the ordinary plain enamel
surface. This surface was also painted with flowers
and figures. The process seems to have been first
adopted by Keen-lung, and many pieces have the
Keen-lung mark. Ina set of four very fine examples
which came under our notice three had the Keen-
lung mark, and the fourth that of Taou-kwang.
In all probability the majority of them were made
in the later reign and the earlier mark was copied,
The copying during this reign included all the older
forms from the Kang-he period, and it excelled in
reproducing the “ famzlle verte” and the “famzlle rose.”
Perhaps the Yung-ching green enamel received the
most special attention, for the outline of the design
is often found first painted in blue under the glaze,
so that the blue shows through the transparent
surface enamels and gives a bluish tint to the
decoration generally, which was quite the effect
produced ‘by a similar decoration in Yung-ching’s
reign.

To the same class of rice bowls belong the pierced
porcelains with patterns filled with glaze. Here the
rice pattern is cut through the paste while the paste
was soft. Then as usual the blue decoration was
applied painted on by hand, and certain parts received
a coating of white enamel before the whole was care-
fully glazed. The skilful glazing is shown by the

144 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

evenness with which the pattern, in glaze, matches
the general surface of the piece itself. The rice or
- Star pattern is the most common of all these pierced
porcelains. Some specimens have, however, a diaper
pattern, and more rarely a dragon design with flowers
and leaves, so cut that portions only are filled
with glaze, which gives a very unusual and striking
effect. These pierced specimens are not supposed to
be earlier than the eighteenth century, and of course
they may be very much later.

HEEN-FUNG (1851-1862).

Very little porcelain was made during this reign,
owing to the Tai-ping rebellion, during which King-
te-chin was destroyed. The first Chinese war with
England took place in 1860. The rebellion ended in
the next reign.

TUNG-CHE (1862-1875),

With peace after the wars the manufacture of
porcelain was resumed. Generally, the best pieces
were copied from the antique, though a pale turquoise
ground with decoration of flowers and butterflies was
made for exportation. Sepia drawings showed some
distinction, but there was no new departure of
importance. This period is modern, and these later
Emperors are only mentioned in order to bring the
history up to date, and to call attention to the marks
both on ordinary and seal character.

KWANG-SHIU (1875- 3

In the present reign much more importance has
been given to the improvement of porcelain, which
is largely made for export, high prices being

KWANG-SHIU 145

obtained for imitations which are sold as antiques.
The largest customer is the United States of America.
The intense conservatism of the Chinese has been
largely broken down by the influence of outside
pressure. The almighty dollar holds the field. Yet,
if it is still true that “for ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain,” “the heathen Chinee” is “ peculiar,” he
holds no monopoly of such qualities. Western civili-
sation runs him close. On the other hand, the honour
of a Chinese in trade is generally of a high standard,
and the people have a natural instinct for artistic
decoration, which has come to them as the legacy of
ages past. And with this power they have, too, an
unlimited supply of the very finest kaolin. Let us
hope that happier times will bring back the glories
of the past.

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XIII

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CHAPTER XIII
CHINESE WHITE PORCELAIN

M. GASNAULT, the friend and pupil of M. Jacquemart,
has put on record the results of their united work
in the Museum at Limoges. The collector is able
to see how he has tried to reconcile and combine
the elements of a complete history of Oriental
china, how he has collected specimens of all the
manufactures, even the smallest, how Oriental
porcelain holds the first place in the collection, being
represented by most remarkable specimens of industry
which in the Celestial Empire to-day is on the decline,
after having had a brilliant career through so many
ages, that it seemed as if nothing could have led to
its failure.

If the Chinese have not yet returned to that state
where they have forgotten entirely the art of making
porcelain, at least they have lost the secret of those
admirable productions—the forms so pure, the glazes
so marvellous, the enamels so sparkling, the decora-
tion so diversified, and the paintings so exquisite—
which remained with us as monuments of an age
when there must have been such art in the Ceramic
world as has never been seen since. It will be
advantageous to say something about the collections
at Limoges and the lessons we may learn from them.

The first place in the collection is given to the white
149

150 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

china known throughout the world as “dlanc de
chine.” This kind of porcelain was highly esteemed
in France, and the Oriental artists and potters from
a material which seemed to offer but little resource
proceeded to work wonders. By the side of the
small sacrificial cups destined for religious uses with
the glassy glaze and a tone which recalls that of wax
or ivory, in the form of the horn of the rhinoceros or
of the flowers of the lotus, which was the plant pre-
eminently sacred, one is able to admire examples
perfect in execution of which the texture is so thin
and fine that it seems dangerous even to touch them.
The greater part is decorated with ornaments in
white or in white slip, which by a few simple strokes,
or by a delicate tracery, almost inconceivably beau-
tifies the limited surface. Garlands and detached
bouquets of flowers have been engraved upon the
wet or the dry clay so finely—indeed, so exquisitely,
that they cannot be seen unless held up to the light.
Here the sacred dragon winds round the cup as if
he wished to defend it from profane hands, and a
Buddhist god only appears when a coloured liquid
is poured into the cup, which then shows up the
lines, before invisible, engraved in the paste.

Again, we find little bottles decorated with dragons
and symbolical dogs of Fé or Buddha cut deeply
into the paste with a patience and an art unequalled
in the productions of the Western Hemisphere. The
statuettes of the gods and goddesses are also made in
this white porcelain, amongst whom is one to whom
we have before referred, Kwan-Yin, a mysterious
being, the personification of mercy and goodness,
who protects the sailors and saves them from ship-
wreck, who takes pity on those who suffer in hell
and intercedes for them. She also gives children to
those who are sterile.

CHINESE WHITE PORCELAIN 151

Kwan-Yin has many attributes and emblems,
Sometimes she has a diadem on her head ornamented
with images of Buddha, or she rests seated on a
throne of lotus in memory of the miraculous bridge
which the gods constructed to enable her to cross
the sea. The god of riches is often found as a white
statutette, so is Poutai, the god of contentment, with

KWAN-YIN. WHITE PORCELAIN.

a broad smile and round, uncovered stomach ; Cheou,
or Chow, the god of longevity, with an enormous
bald head. Other figures of emperors and empresses
are all of the same type, with the accompanying Ho-
Ho birds.

Amongst the finest white porcelain is one kind
having a hard and compact paste which lends itself

152 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

easily to the mould, but is not suitable to the
turning wheel. Nearly all the pieces of this ware
are moulded into figures, incense burners, &c., and
on looking into the interior the roughness and un-
evenness of the paste can be easily seen, even the
marks left by the fingers of the workmen are quite
plain, whilst the bottom always preserves the im-
print of the canvas on which these pieces are placed
after having been moulded. Then there is a white
biscuit class, very rare, often having two walls or
divisions, of which the outer one only is biscuit,
reticulated or pierced with a fine network or trellis
of various patterns, through which the interior wall
can be seen. Amongst the trellis many Chinese
characters are to be found, such as the emblem of
longevity, the mark called Cheou, Chow, or Show.
We shall have more to say of reticulated porcelain
later on, but here we may mention that the reticula-
tion on the outer wall is often elaborate, and the
cover glazes give a variety of colours equal to that
found upon ordinary china. The whole white porce-
lain family, whether we consider the beautiful creamy
ivory ware, or the dead white, or the blue tinged
white, is rarely marked, and when a mark is used
generally it is a seal character moulded or cut in
the paste. A very rare form of decoration is met
with in white, but only occasionally. The surface
is covered with minute white points like the points
shown in shagreen, only it is not green, but white.
Such china has been termed “chazr de poule,’ or
chicken skin. It may be noticed that these points
are not enamelled, either because they were applied
upon the glaze or because the enamel ran off them
in the firing.

XIV

SINGLE
OR SELF-
COLOUR
GLAZES

CHAPTER XIV
SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES

FOLLOWING the white in order is the remarkable
series of single colour glazes of various hues, be-
ginning with the sea-green or Celadon, which is a pale
green, or even a greyish green; and the yellow,
especially the Imperial yellow, which is reserved for
the Emperors of the Tsing dynasty; camellia-green
like the leaves of that plant, painted in proper colours ;
light brown, a bright colour with quite a metallic
lustre, was known as “ feuzlle morte,’ or dead leaf
colour. So copper-reds give various self-colours such
as haricot, various fambés, and through a long range
it reaches eventually a pure black. Then there are
the blues, covering a range no less varied and inter-
esting. Turquoise-blue, a tint which can only be
obtained by applying it upon the biscuit china
which has already passed through the kiln; the
other blues, fouetté, souffié, trempé, are brushed on,
blown on, or dipped according to the method used
in applying the colour glaze. Another way of
applying the glaze was by its being powdered on
through a fine gauze or dabbed on by means of a
wet swab dipped in the colour which was to be used
as the single colour glaze.

The purples as glazes are no less rich in variations,
155

“SANG DE BQSUF.” SELF-COLOUR.

A tall sang de beuf fungus-growth, wonderfully true to nature.
Yung Ching period. This example bears on the base the mark of
Ching-hwa (1465-1488). Round the base and under the feet it is
lacquered. The fungus, which grows at the root of trees, when dried,
was so durable that it became the symbol of longevity and immortality.
Hence large specimens are preserved in the temples, and it is both
painted and modelled with figures of the immortals. It may also be
found in the mouth of the deer, another emblem of longevity. The
example given is in the finest sawg de buf with all the characteristics
of that lovely Celadon colour. This brilliant red was a Kang-he
discovery. It is included in the Lang-yao class, being so called after
Lang Ting-tso, superintendent of King-te-chin.

The special point to which attention should be given is the
lacquered pattern round the base, which is inlaid with pearl
shells, in the style known as ‘‘ Zac burgauté.” In Chinese porce-
lain this process is uncommon, but in Japanese porcelain and pottery
cloisonné enamel is frequent, applied either with or without the
metal cloisons. Lacquer, too, may be frequently found as a coat-
ing—black with flowers in gold and silver; black with Ho-Ho birds
and flowers; a rich red; brown; green; gold, &c. Nearly all of
these pieces are comparatively modern Japanese ware, being made
largely at Kioto, Seto, Yashima, Yamato, and other factories in Japan.
To this class, which includes porcelain in combination with other sub-
stances, must be ascribed those delicate Japanese, egg-shell, covered
cups and saucers, painted with flowers in colours, and having an out-
side covering of the finest basket-work. These are made chiefly at
Yamato.

156

157

SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES 159

and in these tints the Chinese have never been
rivalled. These self-colour pieces are decorated with
symbolical figures or sacred animals, whilst flowers
and inscriptions from the sacred books are found as
a decoration in gold, which unfortunately lies upon
the glaze and is more or less easily removed by hard
wear. Again, similar designs are engraved in the
paste, or modelled in relief and painted with such
colours as are able to resist the temperature of the
furnace. Many pieces have spaces reserved in white
for further decoration, and sometimes the decoration
is executed in white slip on the paste itself after its
first firing has brought it to the biscuit state. These
lovely single colour glazes are certainly amongst the
finest Oriental specimens of porcelain which are
worthy of the collector’s attention ; their softness,
their brilliancy, their range of colour alike entitle
them to a high place in any scheme of decorative
treatment either in the home or on the: collector’s
shelves. We call them china or porcelain vases, &c.,
and in that we are only following the Chinese usage,
though the colour glaze is often so thick as to hide
the material or body of the paste altogether. The
thickness prevents any transmission of light; they
have an opaque more or less coarse clay white or red
body, and amongst our English products would be
classified as stoneware. But the colour is ¢he thing,
and here we shall repeat ourselves a little, because
it is necessary to really understand not alone what
the colours are, but generally the order of their
invention. The oldest colour was, as we have said,
Celadon, or sea-green, which reached a high state of
perfection about 1500. No doubt there are many
Celadon pieces of great antiquity still awaiting
identification. It was in the Seuen-tih period of the
Ming dynasty that this Celadon became a famous

160 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

product. The porcelain is very thick, and to this
thickness it owes its preservation. Like the English
ironstone china, it stands hard wear. All the
Persians and the Turks value Celadon not for its
intrinsic beauty, but because they thought it to be
infallible as a test for poison in their food.

The yellow glaze is the colour adopted by the
present Tsing dynasty as the Imperial colour. Fine
specimens covered with yellow may then be regarded
as having been destined principally for the use of
the Emperors, but it does not follow that the use of
this colour was proscribed in the decoration, either as
a yellow or as a partial tint. Blue was one of the
highly esteemed colours as well as one of the earliest.
We have dealt with blue as an under-glaze decora-
tion. It was not alone used for decorative purposes
in drawings of figures, birds, animals, foliage, and
landscape, but it was used in various forms as a body
colour either on the biscuit itself, before glazing,
for with the glaze as a self-colour, as a Celadon, in
fact—that is, the blue was applied zz the glaze or zx
the enamel.

We read that in 954 A.D. the Emperor Chin-
Tsung ordered some vases to be made which should
be “blue as the sky after rain when seen between
the clouds,” and it is said that his celebrated porcelain
was of this blue, fine like a looking-glass, thin as
paper, and giving a sound like a musical stone, the
only defect being that the feet of the pieces were of
a coarse yellow clay. Alas for the romantic story !

The most recent catalogue of the Musée Guimet
at Paris, drawn up by the national experts with the
assistance of such Chinese experts as were available,
states that the story is all a mistake. The word
which was translated “blue” should have been trans
lated “green,” which brings us back again to Celadon.

SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES 161

During the Sung dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) it
appears that a fine red was discovered from which
porcelain was made resembling chiselled red jade.
This may be the celebrated “sang de beuf,’ which
is red, but, as we have seen, red with qualifications.

The purple or lilac glaze before referred to seems
to have been made quite as early as the Sung
dynasty, but with this, as with all the other glazes,
colour alone is no indication of age.

About the year 1600 there lived that famous potter
called Chow, whose fame was obtained by his ex-
cellence in skilfully imitating ancient vases. All the
records that have come to us show very clearly that
from the earliest times the potters were in the habit
of copying the works of their predecessors. So well
was this continually done that they were able to
impose upon the best experts of their own country.

The brown glazes, according to Pere d’Entrecolles
in a letter dated 1712, were at that time quite recent
inventions, and he applied the same remarks to the
coffee-colour glazes. The black glaze has been
noted. It has several varieties—the dull black
itself, the dull black glazed over with green so as to
make a bright black giving a green tinge only at the
edges, and the Tsing black, which is an uncommon
brilliant black familiarly known as mirror black.

There are many other self-colours or single glazes
to which fanciful names are given. We have referred
to “clair de lune” and the peach bloom. It is very
doubtful whether there is any real value in the names
themselves, so we advise our readers to examine
specimens in the Museums, when such colours as
liver colour, pigeon’s blood, crushed strawberry, &c.,
will be found to be purely arbitrary. Perhaps the
widest term applied to these variegated self-colours
with a single glaze is splashed or shot silk. These

“CLAIRE DE LUNE” SELF COLOUR. CRACKLE
PORCELAIN.

Another production of the Chinese which has never been success-
ully produced in Europe is this crackled or crackle ware. They were
very proficient in producing regulated crackles, large, small, or
medium, and that which was no doubt at first accidental became one
of the most important and successful means of decoration. Some
pieces, indeed, are really marvellous, showing successive bands of
crackle ornament, coloured decoration, self-colour, and white, others
have a double network—doudle réseau—with the crackle coloured
simultaneously in two tones. Historically this ware is of great
antiquity, being noted during the Sung dynasty (960-1270). As a
rule, the clay employed is very coarse, of a buff or a pale red colour
merging into white. It comes under the designation of porcelain
because the Chinese do not differentiate between that which is opaque
and translucent.

The illustration, unfortunately, does not show the colour, the
beautiful clazve de /wne, which is so rare and so indescribable. The
specimen of sang de beuf given under ‘‘Self-colours” is, like this, a
fungus of the genus Agaricus, the emblem of longevity, because it was
practically indestructible. It was also emblematical of fertility.
Emerson wrote, ‘‘ Nobody cares for planting the poor fungus ; so
Nature shakes down from the gills of one poor agaric countless
spores.” The fungus is used as a mark, as decoration, and, as we
have shown, in vase form. Probably its shape and symbolism gave
rise to the Joo-e sceptre and to the wide adoption of the Joo-e-head
form in ornament. Note that red-coloured crackle glazes are rarely
found, and that apple-green, turquoise-blue, and clazr de lune are
the most desirable colours in crackle. Feen-lung.

162

163

e t

SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES 165

various mottled or splashed glazes are named by the
Chinese Yao-pien, by the French flammé or flambé.
They have curious yet very beautiful veinings like
flames of a fire, hence the name given to them
by the French. One colour runs into the other
in the most capricious and yet in the most charming
manner. The first results were no doubt acci-
dental, but soon experience gave certainty to the
master mind of the potter, who was able to define and
measure the combination of the various metallic
oxides which would give him exactly the colouration
he desired. The glaze of these pieces was usually
applied upon the dried vessel by dipping or brushing
or powdering, or, as some say, by blowing on with a
tube. Or, again, it may have been a combination of
these processes. The potter now had the means
of producing an endless variety of splashing by the
proper application of the prepared glazes: of violet
and blue; of turquoise passing into green; of sea-
green, brown, and blue; of maroon, green, and white ;
of, in fact, any colours within the range of his
knowledge. He only had to be sure of the furnace.
He had to know how his metallic oxides would
combine under the action of heat. The glaze upon
vessels having intricate designs in relief was applied
only after the potter was sure that the pot in its
biscuit state was suitable and correct in form. With
most ornaments the danger of damage was thus
considerably reduced. When the biscuit was with-
drawn from the kiln the coloured glaze could be
easily applied before the second firing took place.
We have noticed that a much lower temperature was
needed in the second firing and that the heat of a
muffle-kiln would suffice. As in the case of the
single glazes, a number of fanciful names have been
applied to the ware, such as tiger-skin, iron rust, &c.
10

CELADON GLAZES. SINGLE COLOURS AND SPLASHED.

The coloured glazes in the pieces of one colour which we have
described are called ‘‘self” or “whole” colour, and they were
applied directly on the dry paste or body so that the whole was
fired at one time. The great heat required for this process caused
variations in the tints, which were partly due to the running of
the glaze itself. Where the glaze lay thickest, the colour would
be deepest. Practice led to perfection, so that the Chinese potters
acquired skill in using the colour with precision and, further,
they were able to extend the range of their operations by using
several colours on one piece. Greens of many hues, blues in various
shades, all kinds of reds and yellows, purples and browns gave to this
class great variety and brilliancy. It must be borne in mind that these
coloured glazes were also applied to biscuit porcelain, that is, to white
porcelain, without any glaze, which had been fired in the kiln for the
purpose of fixing the shape. In this division the paste is generally
much thinner than in ordinary pieces of Celadon, and much more
elaboration was given to engraved and embossed patterns and to
reticulated or pierced work. Moreover, it was easy to leave some
parts of the design in untouched biscuit.

Our illustration shows a set of three splashed Vases (two flat-shaped
and one hexagonal) painted with enamels of green, yellow, and
aubergine, in blotches on a white ground. The handles, which are
monsters, are in apple-green. This style of decoration is known as
tiger-spotted or splashed. Kang-he period.

166

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SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES 169

The process of decoration by blowing is said to
produce a curious colouring. Take, for instance, red
blown on blue. Pieces so decorated appear to be
covered with a soft violet glaze, but on examination
it will be found that the opaque blue is sown all over
with minute red rings formed as a network resembling
the finest lace. By the use of a simple magnifying-
glass these rings can be easily traced. It seems
difficult to produce such a marvellous decoration,
and yet it is quite simple. The colour blown on
that is the red, which is driven with force sufficient to
form minute bubbles, which burst by the heat of the
kiln, and by their bursting form little rings varying
from the size of a pin’s head to that of a pea.

It will be well to give just a little time to a
summary of the colours which are used on Oriental
porcelain of all kinds, first in the under-glaze blue
and red, second in the single colour glazes, including
all those which are known by the terms splashed,
variegated, transmuted, or fammé or flambé. Pre-
serving the same order set out in the colour enamels
which are used in over-glaze decorations, we find that
the blacks, as before stated, were three in number—
a common dull black, a mirror or metallic black, and
the first of these covered by a thin transparent green
glaze, so as to make a shining black. The dull black
was produced from manganese which had some
impurities in it, whilst the mirror black was made
of manganese having cobalt in it mixed with white
glaze and an earth containing iron.

The various greens, such as the dark green or gros
vert, sea-green or Celadon, apple-green, emerald-green,
pea-green, cucumber, and snake-skin were all derived
from iron, copper, and a little cobalt.

The many shades of blue—dark blue and that
peculiar tint known as mazarine, powder - blue,

PEACH-BLOOM, OR PHACH-BLOW.

The under-glaze reds belonging to the Celadon class differ from the
under-glaze painted reds. The Celadon colours are applied in and with
the glaze, and the other class is, like under-glaze blue, painted on the
biscuit china and then glazed. The range of Celadon reds is very great,
from ‘‘ Peach-blow,”? commonly termed ‘‘ Peach-bloom,”’ to ‘‘ sang de
beuf.” About sixteen of these beautiful shades are within this range.
‘¢ Peach-blow ’’ is used as a self-colour glaze, covering the whole of the
piece, but, like all other colours, it is employed also with other coloured
glazes in the decoration of porcelain—white or Celadon. Dr. Bushell
describes peach-blow as ‘‘a pale red, becoming pink in some parts; in
others, mottled with russet spots displayed upon a background of light
green Celadon tint.” This and many other colours were invented by
Ts’ang Yeng-hsiian, the director of the Imperial works towards the
end of Kang-he’s reign. Around the feet of many fine vases of the
Yung-Ching period there are waves in this darkish red, with occasional
flecks of green. In these cases the body of the vases is white.
Examples occur where peach-blow is used as a Celadon colour in
pieces decorated with blue under the glaze.

On the left isa Vase with large bulging body and short expanding
neck of a clear white glaze, on which are blossoms painted in peach-
bloom, with leaves and branches in blue. Kang-he period (1661-1722).
Height with stand, 1o4 in.

A circular shaped Vase with tapering neck, expanding mouth, and a
bulbous body. This is decorated with pomegranate fruits in peach-
bloom ; the leaves and stalks in rich blue; the whole on a Celadon
ground. Kang-he.

170

SINGLE OR SELF-COLOUR GLAZES 173

sapphire-blue, sky-blue, turquoise-blue, peacock-blue,
“clair de lune,’ and kingfisher-blue—were all secured
from cobalt and copper mixed in various pro-
portions,

In dealing with the important red family we have
to distinguish between the reds derived from copper
and those derived from iron and from gold. The
range of tints is very extensive. Those derived from
copper give the more or less fanciful names of “ sang-
de-beuf,’ “sang de poulet,’ “ sang de pigeon,’ crimson,
crushed strawberry, maroon, liver colour, and that
curious tint known as peach bloom or peach blow.
The reds secured from iron are vermillion, the well-
known coral and the tomato tints. From gold, those
beautiful shades of colour to which we have referred
as being crowning triumphs of the Yung-ching and
Keen-lung periods were procured. These, known as
ruby, rose, and pink, were really covering a large range
of colours from a very faint pink to a red purple.

The yellows have a no less extended range. At
the head of the list we find Imperial yellow, then
citron or lemon-yellow, eel-skin yellow, straw, canary,
mustard, orange, and sulphur-yellow. Thus we see the
yellows vary from a faint tinge of that colour to a
strong shade which seems to include a little red. All
these yellows were derived from antimony, and the
variation was largely secured by the addition of iron.

The next class, the brown colour, was derived
from iron or from clay in which iron in various pro-
portions was present. These browns include various
shades such as bronze, chestnut, chamois, chocolate,
coffee, “ caf¢-au-lait,’ dead leaf—“ morte feurlle”»—old
gold.

The colours on English china for the purposes of
contrast are given next. They were derived from
oxides of various metals in various proportions. The

174 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

blacks are secured from cobalt, nickel, manganese,
iron, and chromium. The greens are variously de-
rived; the yellow-green and the emerald-green are
secured from chromium and sodium ; the blue-green
or celest from chromium, cobalt, silicon, and zinc;
whilst other greens are derived from copper and
chromium.

Blues come from cobalt and silicon, except the mat
blue, which was procured from cobalt, lime, and zinc.
The reds were made from gold and iron, which
secured many shades of those colours. The blacks
were derived from chromium, iron, and manganese.
Another class of European colours—the purples—
came from cobalt, chromium, tin, and calcium.

CHINESE
CRACKLE

CHAPTER XV
CHINESE CRACKLE

THE crackle porcelain is a distinct class, though it
will be found that many of the pieces having a single
glaze are also crackled. They are covered with a
clay or enamel which having been burnt in the kiln
is taken out and subjected to the action of a current
of cold air, or they are dipped in cold water, so that
by unequal contraction cracks are formed with a
regularity which, although in the first place accidental,
became, in the skilful hands of the Chinese, science.
Small crackles like the herring’s roe, and large crackles
like the ice cracks, could be produced by the potter
as he chose. The cracks were filled with Indian
ink, red or black, which made them stand out clearly.
By further burning, possibly at a lower temperature,
the entire surface seems to be covered with a clear
glaze quite transparent, which to the touch offers no
unequalities of surface. These wonderful potters have
so far pushed this unique form of decoration, never
successfully imitated in Europe, that it became one
of the most important and striking means of decora-
tion. Some of their work in this direction is
marvellous and shows successive bands of enamel
or glaze, crackled, self-colour and white all in one

piece. Other pieces show a crackled network of
177

‘STHUAVNA GAUNOION NI ANO GNV SHSVA ATMOVAO OML
‘WOHSQW LUALIV GNV VIMOLOIA ‘NOILLOZTIOO SHNOL[ ‘QIOWYO NI GHLNNOW SaSVA

CHINESE CRACKLE 179

two tints. Some of our English potters are making
good attempts to imitate the fine old Chinese
“Jamille verte,’-and surely for crackled porcelain
there is still inspiration to be drawn from the
East. The glaze was of white or coloured ; the body
was somewhat coarse in paste, resembling red or
white stoneware. History takes us back to the
Sung dynasty, when this kind of ware was first
known, and the accidental discovery was converted
into an exact method of working. A pretty form
of crackle resembles the scales of a trout, and is by
the French called ¢ruzté. All the colours that were
employed as single glazes in that class seem to have
been similarly employed as crackle glazes, with the
possible exception of red, which did not lend itself
to this process; all the Celadon shades and the
blues, including turquoise-blue. The most celebrated
crackle is that known as apple-green crackle. This
ware has, in addition to the beautiful effect of the
crackling, a lovely soft tint of green, which was
applied as the glaze.

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XVI

BLUE
UNDER
THE GLAZE

CHAPTER XVI
BLUE UNDER THE GLAZE. NANKIN BLUE

MANY collectors are immensely attracted by what
is known as the old blue and white. It is such a
widely distributed product, extending over a long
series of reigns. We noted before that it reached its
highest excellence in the Kang-he period. It was
at first reserved for the Court, for Emperors and high
dignitaries, but since Kang-he’s reign blue and white
may be said to belong to all dates, and the blue and
white ginger jars of the present time which may be
bought for one or two guineas show how the demand
has been a constant one throughout the whole of the
time. At a very early period after the Dutch had
imported this blue and white from China their potters
set about imitating it and produced the fine old blue
and white delft which is now valuable, but there is
no specimen of delft which reaches anything like the
price of the old Chinese blue and white from which
it was copied. The honorific inscriptions, the sacred
emblems, the immortals and their attendants were
quite meaningless to the mind of the Dutch potter,
just as they were to the Italian, who was also
an Oriental copyist. To the Oriental the decoration
of each piece meant something, something it may be

of their history or of their religion. High thoughts
183

184 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

were set out as inscriptions, and inspirations were
given by the story on the vase or dish, which when
represented on a European copy became only a
scheme of decoration, or at its best a germ from
which an original scheme of native work might have
its birth. So the Dutch, though they at first made
delft ware in servile imitation of Chinese patterns,
soon saw their way to utilise purely Dutch designs
and with these to produce work as fine as that which
they had made under the inspiration of the Chinese
model.

At King-te-chin, the classical home of porcelain,
a city with 3,000 kilns, the best of the blue and
white was made; and although there is a large class
called Nankin blue which must not be neglected,
the latter, in decoration, is immensely inferior to
the products of the Imperial factories. It is quite
certain that there were many other factories besides
those at King-te-chin which produced porcelain,
but history leaves few records of them, so that it
would be quite fair to include Nankin blue as a
product of King-te-chin perhaps decorated at Nankin.
It is quite interesting to note how at first this blue
and white, now so valued, was not esteemed by
Europeans with the exception of the Dutch. Much
of it was redecorated on the glaze and the pattern
burnt in so as to hide the decoration.

Ph a

PO at
Wigs iD

186

BLUE AND WHITE.

(a) A pair of tall blue and white trumpet-shaped Beakers. Under the
neck are four shield-shaped panels connected with an arabesque design ;
below this is a broad band ornamented with conventional flowers run-
ning round the body. Towards the feet are the stiff leaves of the sweet-
flag running down to the base. The whole done in a liquid, trans-
lucent blue on a most beautiful white ground. Kang-he period. The
sweet-flag is often used for the decoration of porcelain vases, &c.,
and because its leaves are long and slender and come to a point the
Chinese use them to represent swords, which, indeed, they resemble in
general shape. On the morning of the first day of the fifth month
every family nails up a few leaves of this plant on each side of the doors
and windows of the house, so that when the evil spirits come near, they
see the leaves, which they mistake for swords, and are thus frightened
off. The superstitions of the people as well as their religion are put
under obligation to furnish designs for the potter, in which the same
idea is represented in a permanent form. In fact, only when we are
fully cognisant of Chinese mythology shall we fully appreciate the
wonderful stories set out in their porcelain. When will the Chinese
connoisseur place before us his stores of knowledge ?

(4) A pair of Butter Dishes and Covers in fine quality blue and
white. The dishes and lids have the four seasons design, which are
separated with a trellis-work diaper pattern. Note the difference
between the two diaper patterns. The handles are coming from the
mouth of a monster. Kang-he period.

11 187

BLUE AND WHITE.

(a) A fine quality blue and white Beaker vase with expanding neck and
bulging body. The neck is ornamented with blue bands and flowers ;
the body divided into four panels and filled in alternately with domestic
utensils, flowers, and foliage. Kang-he.

(2) A blue and white Water-ewer and Cover, of fine quality and
elegant shape, decorated with ‘ Lange-Lysen,” domestic utensils, and
landscapes. Seal mark, ‘‘ Ching-Hwa.” Kang-he period.

Blue was employed for under-glaze decoration amongst the Chinese
from time immemorial, though scarcely a specimen earlier than the
Ming period can be identified with certainty, owing to the copying and
recopying that has been continually practised by the Chinese. True,
we often see the Ming marks, say of Ching-hwa or Kea-tsing, but pro-
bably the best of them are of Kang-he origin. Even if the pieces are
really old they will be often found re-decorated with modern colours.
Perhaps amongst the blue and white of the Ming period, those pieces
decorated with the soft but rich ‘‘ Mohammedan ”’ blue, as it is called,
are the best. Yet, though the colour is never flat or dead, there are
certain qualities missing which are quite charming in the later Kang-he.
The gradation and modulation of the blue, indeed, even the quality of
the blue itself, are all better in the later pieces. Whether, again, the
fine Kang-he blue was made early or late in the period, lasting from
1662-1722, isa further matter of doubt. Our readers will remember
that in 1677 and for some years after no date marks were allowed to
be inscribed, so that only patient study and careful observation will
enable any one to place the old blue and white.

188

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BLUE AND WHITE.

These specimens of blue and white Vases answer the tests which are
applied to the best porcelain decorated with different designs of flowers,
trees, birds, &c., in blue, painted under the glaze. What are the tests ?
First, the material forming the paste or body must be so fine as to give
a perfect surface. The surface must be a brilliant white when covered
by the glaze. The drawing and painting should reveal the best qualities
of cobalt blue. The shape of the piece must leave nothing to be
required. Now, it is well known that blue and white was, and is, the
most common of all Oriental porcelain, and modern work is good, so
that it becomes quite easy to make mistakes; in fact, it would not be
too much to say that old blue and white is most difficult to judge.
Though the glaze is so much a part of the paste that it lasts practically
for ever, yet it does get slightly dulled; the extreme brilliancy of the
new pieces contrasts with the softer and more beautiful old porcelain.
The glaze should not be too thick, for the fine, even quality of the paste
is just as much an element as the glaze in giving the old lustre. The
blue decoration under the glaze shows a perfect command of outline as
well as colour. There is no soaking in of the colour, but the outline
is applied by the brush with absolute equality.

The two specimen vases show ‘‘ Lange-Lysen”’ or ‘‘ Long Elizas”
and flowers in fluted lotus-shaped medallions covering the whole surface,
except under the lip and neck, where there are two bands of triangle-
work diaper pattern. The mounts are in French ormolu, Louis XVI.
Kang-he period.

191

BLUE AND WHITE. GINGER JARS.

There are several varieties of prunus (so-called hawthorn) blossom in
the well-known blue and white ginger jars. The one given in the
illustration has the pattern known as the ‘‘ ascending stem” hawthorn.
Then there isa ‘‘ descending stem,” and a third pattern showing the
head or centre of the blooms arranged in groups. This is ‘* blob
hawthorn,” and may consist of three small blooms around a central
larger one, forming, roughly, a triangular group ; or four blooms again
around a central one, forming a cross-shaped group. This pattern is
also known as “spray hawthorn.” The ground is a brilliant cobalt, in
which the colour is laid on very much as if it had been rubbed on by
the thumb, or still more, as if the colour, when wet, had been so
rubbed. Afterwards a network of blue lines was added on the blue
ground. The suggestion is that the ‘‘ blob pattern ” imitates the fallen
prunus blossoms resting upon the crackled ice in the early spring.

Our illustration shows a Ginger Jar with dome cover. The body
decorated with large and small sprays of white prunus, rising from the
base and falling from the shoulder. Very brilliant crackled ice ground
of deep cobalt ; a narrow band of white encircling the mouth, with a
line of blue within, the space between decorated with a formal orna-
ment. The lid with similar decoration to that on the jar, the top en-
circled with a ring of white. Height, 1oin. Period Kang-he. Value,

about £2,000. Record price, 5,900 guineas.

192

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193

194

BLUE AND OTHER COLOURS, UNDER-GLAZE.

The finest quality of blue and red painted under the glaze were made
during the Tsing dynasty, though during the Ching-hwa period (1465-
1488) of the Ming dynasty many good pieces having this decoration
must have been manufactured, as the mark of that reign is frequently
found in reproductions. Even Kang-he and Yung-ching copies have
the Ching-hwa mark.

The illustration—a conical Vase with short neck—shows the four-
claw dragons of the sky. These are drawn in blue, as far as the head
and body are concerned; the scales are in a soft red. The curious
forms meant to indicate clouds are in blue, whilst the fireballs are in
red. Variations occur where the nebulz are in red, or even the whole
under-glaze may be covered with a bright coral-coloured ground, with
the decoration in blue. When this is so the pieces are classified as
*‘coral-red.” Again, amongst the various shades of red and brown
under the glaze some are found in peach-coloured red. These form a
class of ‘‘ peach ware.”” Notice the care with which the scales on the
dragons are drawn, and even from the photograph the white seems
wonderfully pure. Yung-ching period.

The dragon decoration sometimes represents the /¢ or dragon of the
sea swimming in the water or rising from the waves. It was from such
a dragon that Fuh-hi (2852-2738 B.c.) learnt and developed the eight
diagrams or symbols called the Pa-kwa, which see under ‘‘ Symbols,”
The Pa-kwa is used for decoration, usually as a raised design, seldom
asa mark. The dragon is never used as a mark.

195

RED UNDER THE GLAZE.

This magnificent, tall, cylindrical Vase is an example of red—vouge
de fer—under the glaze, with enamel colours in exquisite harmony
applied over the glaze. The merest glance will reveal how artistically
the decorator applied his design to the surface at his disposal. Each
branch, each leaf, has its value in the scheme of ornamentation. The
surface is well covered, but there is no overcrowding. The Vase is of
exquisite proportions, decorated on pure white glaze with a bold design
of Ho-Ho birds, the plumage of rouge de fer, green, yellow, and
aubergine; one bird is partly hidden by rocks drawn in various greens,
aubergine, and blue, whilst springing from the back are large flowering
branches of the peony flowers and blossoms. The drawing throughout
is of the highest merit. The flowers and boughs are shown in yellow,
blue, aubergine, creamy white, and black. Underneath the rocks and
on the left of the large bird is a large peony in rouge de fer and foliage
in various greens, whilst on the right are two other flowers, one of
rouge de fer and the other of fine stippled yellow with an aubergine
centre. The rest of the vase is decorated with a bold design of
‘flowering peach-bloom branches and other large flowers in deep rouge
de fer, aubergine, green, and yellow ; the neck, which is divided from
the body of the vase by a narrow black band, contains peonies and
other flowers decorated in colours similar to the remainder of the
vase. Period, Kang-he.

196

XVII

CLOBBER
WARE, OR
REDECORATED
PORCELAIN

CHAPTER XVII
CLOBBER WARE, OR REDECORATED PORCELAIN

MANY lovely specimens of blue and white with
the Kang-he marks, with the double rings or with
the leaf symbol inside the double rings under the
glaze, genuine specimens of old Kang-he, have been
irretrievably spoilt by being plastered over with
thick enamels of red, green, blue, &c. The old
English word “clobber” means a paste to conceal
cracks in shoes, and the pity of the clobber decoration
was that the enamels, having been burnt in, are to
all intents and purposes irremovable. Before me,
as I write, is a Kang-he vase with a leaf symbol
within the double circle, showing a real old Kang-he
blue and white production, but unfortunately the
clobberer has plastered coloured enamel over the
blue decoration, now faintly visible, and only where
a transparent green or pink glaze has been applied ;
the rest is absolutely hidden by opaque glazes of rose
and yellow, white, lilac, and blue, until the character
of the Oriental piece has been entirely destroyed.
The number of pieces so spoiled seemed to indicate
that there was a demand for clobber ware, or that,
as we noted, blue and white was not popular, or that
it was imported for redecoration in the absence of

white ware which could be used for the same purpose.
201

202 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Chinese porcelain in its white state was freely
imported into Europe and decorated in the factories
of Holland, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as
in this country.

Every one who collects china is familiar with the
so-called Lowestoft decoration, not a thousandth
part of which ever saw Lowestoft; in fact, that
researches which have been made at Lowestoft
indicate that the manufacture was soft paste re-
sembling early Bow and Worcester. Of course,
some white Oriental china may have been deco-
rated there, though no traces of broken hard
paste seem to have been found in the excavations.
It may be that Bow, Chelsea, and Worcester did
decorate white Oriental china, but the information
we have on this point is singularly weak and
inconclusive. The clobber decoration is not alone
in enamel colours or gold, but even lacquer is used
for the same purpose. It is needless to say that the
change is never to the advantage of the piece, and
often the under-glaze blue may be seen peeping, as
it were, reproachfully from beneath the overlying
transparent enamel.

Another, but similar name, is sometimes applied to
this style of decoration. It is said that an enameller
named Globber—hence Globber ware—redecorated
white and blue porcelain with enamels at Soho
during the latter part of the eighteenth century.

CHAPTER XVIII
RETICULATED PORCELAIN

THE porcelain called reticulées comes into the
category of blue and white because some of it
was decorated with blue under the glaze. The
pieces have double walls, of which the outside one
is pierced with a pattern, often a network of ex-
ceeding fineness, a lace-work in porcelain through
which may be seen the exquisite blue design upon
the internal wall. It seems just as if the potter
had two pieces made to fit at the top and bottom
only. On the foundation piece—the internal wall—
he expended the art of decoration in blue. On the
other piece, even more care must have been shown
in cutting the clay into delicate tracery, so minute
as to be marvellous. Then the fitting of the two
walls together was completed, and finally the firing
process took place. Such pieces are pre-eminent
in curiosity, in interest and in skill, and their
variations are wonderful, Some are only blue and
white, some are blue and white with reserves in
biscuit. All had the outside wall pierced with a
pattern. We are giving as illustrations two
magnificent pieces of reticulated porcelain, but these

are coloured with enamel colours.
205

RETICULATED INCENSE BURNER.
Of Very Fine Quality.

Specially interesting and exceedingly valuable, this vase deserves
careful study. It is a pity that it cannot be given in all the beauty of
its colouring. At the top is a large panel containing the figure of a
man offering the ‘‘ Fruit of Life” to one of the immortals, at whose
side is a deer; the remainder of this has rocks, foliage, a tree, and
clouds, richly enamelled in green, aubergine, blue, and rouge de fer ;
the whole surrounded by a border of formal design in rouge de fer.
The remainder contains sixteen panels. Each of the top eight contains
a figure of the eight immortals with their various insignia ; the robes of
the figures are enamelled in rouge de fer, aubergine, blue, black,
yellow, and various greens; whilst the lower portion has figures of
boys playing various games, similarly enamelled. Dividing each
panel is a broad band containing formal flowers and leaves in blue,
green, and black, on bright yellow, whilst at the top of the base
and bottom of the cover are aubergine bands with black tracery
design and formal flowers in rouge de fer, blue, and yellow. The
whole of the reticulated work is of brilliant yellow enamel. At the
base is a broad plain black band, above which is a design of Joo-e-
heads in apple-green.

NoTE.—This example is believed to be the largest specimen of
reticulated work of the Ming period known to exist, and is equally
remarkable for the high quality of its artistic work.

From the Collection of G. R. Davies, Esq.

207

VASE. RETICULATED PORCELAIN.

A very rare and fine quality reticulated bulbous-shaped Vase with
short neck. The body is decorated with figures, trees, &c., in a bold
design. The shoulder, which is supported from the top by a band ot
blue, is decorated with various flowers and leaves. The base, which is
a conventional design, is also supported from the centre by dark and
light blue bands. The whole vase is brilliantly enamelled in auber-
gine, blue, yellow, &c. Ming period. This piece is a specimen of the
coloured glazes on biscuit in which, after the piercing of the pattern on
the air-dried clay has been carried out, it is fired in the kiln before
being glazed. In classification this would be in the ‘‘ Celadon
biscuit” class. The reticulation in this specimen, though not so fine as
in the other example which we have given, is very wonderful.
How skilful the potter must have been to carve such an intricate
pattern from a sun-dried vase! How each stroke of the tool must
have had careful attention, so that, whilst aiming at a lace-like effect,
the body of the vase should still be strong enough to bear the biscuit
firing without breaking! Of course care had to be exercised in the
painting, which was rarely in monochrome; generally, yellow, green,
blue, maroon, and aubergine were employed. Then the second firing
took place. In nearly all biscuit Celadon the paste or body is thinner
than in ordinary Celadon, because the pattern had to be cut into and
through it. To this class belongs the Ming Celadon, having the figures
and other ornament in relief.

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XIX

DECORATED
WITH
COLOURED
ENAMELS

CHAPTER XIX
‘DECORATED WITH COLOURED ENAMELS

THE section of porcelain which deals with decoration
in colours is a revelation of the ingenuity, art, and
industry of the Chinese potter. The difference
between the Chinese productions and European
china are striking ; in fact, they cannot be compared.
With the Chinese, the porcelain manufacture was a
matter of custom, almost of religion. The gift of a
piece of porcelain marked every solemn ceremony—
the new year, the birthday, the marriage never
passed without the presentation of a cup or vase
which bore an inscription or a symbol of good wishes,
or a character meaning either longevity or earthly
happiness. Indeed, the visitor to the Chinese home
could see not only cups and vases, but teapots,
dishes, and plates with varied decoration and brilliant
colouring, each telling its own story. Sometimes the
teapots were made in the form of Chinese characters.
On some pieces were the familiar scenes of the home
life or of the public life which give us glimpses of the
manners of a people, still imperfectly known and less
understood, who for centuries opposed the strongest
barriers to the curiosity of Europeans, On other
pieces were depicted subjects drawn from the sacred

legendsor from the principal scenes of well-known wars.
213

214 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Then the birds and animals each with its meaning,
each a symbol! The peach blossom, the lotus, the
dragon of the Emperors or of the princes appear side
by side with the kylin, the Korean lion or dog of Fé,
the sacred Ho-Ho birds, or Fong-Hoang, &c. On
the plates and dishes specimens of the Oriental
flowers were spread out in all the glory of vivid
colour—peonies and chrysanthemums, lotus and
azalea, with insects and butterflies no less gorgeous
and certainly no less emblematical. Other specimens
had for decoration rocks and trees with birds of rich
plumage, and fishes with scales of golden hue.

Amongst these dazzling enamel colours four are
most attractive and seem to dominate over all the
others. Arranging them in families and placing
them in order of age, we should take the black family,
the green family, the yellow family, and the rose
family. These all show the brilliant tones of a per-
fected production, and singularly enough they were,
with one exception, ascribed to the Tsing dynasty ;
they began to be made in the Kang-he period of that
dynasty. Such was the generally received opinion.
Further investigation has shown that, with the excep-
tion of the “famille rose,” most of these were made
during the Ming dynasty, and attention is being drawn
to this fact more and more as time reveals many
undoubtedly fine pieces of the older dynasty. It
may be objected that these fine pieces are later
Chinese copies with the old dates, and the objection
has certainly some grounds, but we must remember
that the invention of translucid porcelain and its
decoration was quite fabulous with regard to its
antiquity, and we must further bear in mind that the
regulations of the social and political life of the
Chinese, the organisation of the family, which scarcely
permitted the son to follow any other profession than

COLOURED ENAMELS 215

that of his father, perpetuated the trades of a calling
or trade. The routine practice, if this expresses the
idea better, forbade all initiative in the mere worker.
Inspiration creating new forms and colours depended
upon the genius who presided over the Imperial
manufactories. These and other causes brought this
result, that art and industry rested almost stationary,
reproducing the same types, the same forms, the
same decoration, which responded to the demands,
habits and customs of a people whose needs searcely
varied. Under these conditions, which furnish food
for reflection, when we inquire, “Is this old china or
not?” we must note that the mere inspection of hard
porcelain made of kaolin, which is almost unalterable
with time, will never reveal to the most expert the
date of its creation. It is true that certain pieces
bear an inscription indicating this or that date, but
the number of these is very limited, for the use of
date marks does not appear to have been adopted by
the Chinese before the end of the fifteenth century.
Although it may be objected that these marked
specimens are later Chinese copies, and that similarly
decorated specimens have simply the old dates
recopied, it is quite possible that many of them which
are thought to have been imitations may be really old.
It will be difficult even for the expert to be certain in
his differentiation between fine old Ming and Kang-he.

Coming in the same period as the three Kang-he
enamel colours are the two underground glaze
grounds powder-blue and coral-red. True powder-
blue is Kang-he, but it has been copied, and badly,
right on to our own times, whilst in coral red—vouge
de fer”—the later Keen-lung specimens can fairly
be said to rival those of the earlier period. It is
doubtful whether this rivalry would apply to any
other class of porcelain.

216 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

A—THE BLACK FAMILY—‘ Famizzce Noire.”

This magnificent production, of which we give
examples in our illustrations, is usually ascribed to
Kang-he, possibly it may be earlier. Its characteristic
quality was a black ground covered with almost in-
visible green glaze. The body of these pieces was
decorated with flowers in yellow, green, and white,
and with butterflies. A common form of decoration
—if any can be called common in dealing with such
a rare product—was that the panels were decorated
with emblems of the seasons. A tree of peony
with green, white, and grey blossoms appears to us
to be fantastic, but the peony in China grew to the
height of 12 ft. The chrysanthemum with flowers of
similar colours formed a second panel, the guelder
rose with green and white blossoms made the third,
whilst the fourth had the lotus flower with tall green
and grey flowers growing at the foot of green rocks
at the edge of a green lake. The prunus blossom in
white or pale green was often used for floral deco-
ration, and yellow finches with green wings, white
storks, white butterflies and bees are often found. So,
too, is a green-faced dragon with a long brilliant
green body in coils, sporting itself in mid-air.
Reference to our illustrations will bring out other
forms of decoration treated at some length.

218

BLACK FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE NOIRE.”

This rare class, which is well exemplified by the fine specimens in
the Salting Collection in the Museum at South Kensington, seems to
have had the decoration applied in outline or in colour to white porce-
lain, and then the black ground was filled in. The black is thin
and the tint is not intense. The decoration may be left white, or
‘< famille verte” ox ‘‘ famille rose,’ &c. In these respects it differs
from the modern ware, in which the enamel is thick, and the painting of
the flowers and insects is far from being brilliant. Such pieces have no
value.

The illustration shows a rare pair of hexagonal Teapots, divided
into six pierced panels, which are decorated with hawthorn blossom,
bamboo plant, and the peach-tree, on each side; the ground of
brilliant black enamel. Springing from the base are acantha leaves,
decorated in vouge de fer, in high relief; the base decorated with a
light tracery design on apple-green ; the necks divided into six panels
in apple-green, bright green, and yellow, on which are Joo-e-heads in
aubergine on various shades of green. The covers reticulated with
design of hawthorn and branches; the stems in aubergine on green
and rouge de fer. The handles are formed as dolphins; the head of
each is in aubergine, the back in rouge de fer, and the body in yellow.
The spouts are seen issuing from monster heads, the latterin aubergine,
the former in brilliant yellow. Kang-he.

219

BLACK FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE NOIRE.”

A very artistic octagonal-shaped Bowl, divided into four panels, on
which are represented the flowers of the four seasons, decorated in
green, white, and aubergine, on a brilliant black background. Divid-
ing the panels are four sections of a diamond diaper design in green
and yellow; at the base of each of these is a Joo-e-head in green and
black. Surrounding the whole of the panels at the base is a light
tracery design in black on yellow ground. At the bottom of the
interior is an octagonal panel, decorated with rocks, flowers, and foliage
in green, aubergine, and yellow, on black ground. Inside the rim is
decorated with four panels of diaper design in green and yellow, in the
centre of each of which there is a small reserve containing flowers in
various colours on black ground, the outer portion of each having an
aubergine border. Dividing these four panels are four small reserves,
containing flowers in various colours on a seeded yellow ground. Sup-
ported on a carved wood stand. In this piece the diaper decoration, in
green and yellow, which distinguishes early Ming and Kang-he, is
again prominent. These diapers are largely used in borders too. Many
of them can be traced in our illustrations, such as the key pattern, the T,
the swastika, Joo-e-head, trellis, triangle, herring-bone, honeycomb,
ring, diamond, as here, plain, sometimes it is flowered; lozenge, coin,
scroll, fish-roe, octagons and squares, net-work, petal-work, speckled-
work to imitate fish-skin, scale, curl, Y-work. They should be studied.
Kang-he period.., -

220

isi
N

222

BLACK FAMILY—“ FAMILLE NOIRE.”

The pair of square-shaped tapering Vases of brilliant black enamel.
Three of the four seasons are shown, in which are depicted the flowers
of the seasons in green, yellow, white, and aubergine. On the
shoulders there are flowers in similar colours, whilst each neck is
decorated with peonies in green, yellow, and aubergine, all having the
same brilliant black ground. On the vase showing a single face there
is the spring scene of peach-trees with flowers and birds. The rocks
are conventional in form, whilst the branches and trunks of the trees
in aubergine show the darker markings in sepia. To the left of the
other vase we find the summer flower, the lotus, in full bloom, with
storks wading in the water; to the right the autumn flower, the
chrysanthemum, bearsa gorgeous display of bloom. In the top left
corner, a butterfly—emblem of conjugal felicity—is flitting round the
flowers. The fourth season—the plum and early rose—is not shown.

The black glaze used here must not be confounded with that which
was invented in the Keen-lung period, because the Keen-lung glaze was
applied in one process. The Kang-he black was a dull black glazed
over with green. The painting of the flowers, &c., was first carried
out in proper colours, then the black was applied to block out the
design, and finally the thin but brilliant green was painted over the
black. Variations in the colour scheme may be found. Some have
the flowers, &c., left in white upon the black ground. Others have
similar drawing white with black ground, only the green glaze was
carried all over the piece, so that whilst the ground remained black
the decoration was all coloured green. The examples are of the
Kang-he period.

223

BLACK FAMILY—“ FAMILLE NOIRE.”
A pair of large-sized pear-shaped Beaker Vases.

This quality of old Chinese porcelain is very rare and valuable.
The two vases are so shown as to exhibit the usual method adopted
by the Chinese in decorating two objects similar in shape. The
European style is to decorate the two objects making a pair in
precisely the same way. The Orientals reversed the patterns so as to
give a right and a left view of them. In these vases the tree trunk
and the floral pattern on the one vase takes an opposite direction in the
other, so that when they are placed side by side, as in the illustration,
they make a balanced design. These are most extraordinary examples
of the rare “‘ famzlle notre” porcelain, and of their kind are undoubtedly
the finest known specimens. The background is of a brilliant black,
decorated with rocks in bright green, and two birds in various brilliant
colours. Coming from the back of the rock is a peony, exquisitely
drawn and brilliantly enamelled in yellow. The flowers on the corre-
sponding side to this are bright green with white stalks. The reverse
has peonies. The base and the upper part is almost covered with
white hawthorn in a brilliant vitreous white ; the neck decorated with
sprays of flowers and hawthorn in white and brilliant coloured enamels.
A great feature of the body of the vase is the branches of trees on
either side, carried out in aubergine in the most perfect gradation of
colour. The designs are opposite in each vase, and thus form a
complete pair. The vases are in perfect condition, and of the Kang-he
period. Extreme height, 27 inches; height of stand, 34 inches.
Value, £10,000.

224

226

BLACK FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE NOIRE.”

(z) A small oviform bottle-shaped Vase, with expanding neck,
decorated with rocks, prunus blossom, and branches, in various greens,
white, aubergine, and yellow, on a brilliant black enamel ground.

(6) An oviform beaker-shaped Vase decorated with prunus blossom
and branches, similar to. the above in colour. Birds in brilliant colours.
Black ground. Neither M. Jacquemart nor Franks nor Gulland give very
much information about this class of porcelain—black ground covered
with an almost invisible green glaze. As in the blue and white class,
there are found sprays or branches of white prunus with the “ ascend-
ing ’’ and the ‘‘ descending” stem in what has been so long miscalled
the ‘‘ hawthorn pattern.” The difference is, of course, one of ground
colour. The blue in the one is under the glaze, and in the other the
black is painted on the white china in its biscuit state when the other
decoration has first been burnt in. The process appears to be this.
First the white or coloured pattern is burnt in, in the first firing in the
kiln, leaving the ground white. To this the black ground is applied
and again burnt in. Over this black ground the green wash is painted,
and at the same time coloured decoration added where necessary,
causing another visit to the kiln. Finally the whole is covered with a
fine transparent glaze and receives its final firing. It seems that
unless a process similar to this were adopted the smoothness and
beauty of the magnificent decoration could never be attained. Note
in one illustration the ‘‘ ascending” stem and in the other the stem is
‘* descending ” over the body and ascending in the neck. Both pieces
are Kang-he.

228 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

B.—THE GREEN FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE VERTE.”

The green family in its finest form is undoubtedly
a Kang-he production, but all of the decoration was
not in green. Brilliant enamel colours were com-
bined with gilding, and flowers such as the white .
chrysanthemum, the lotus, the prunus are frequently
found in conjunction with black speckled diapers and
large panels decorated with various subjects with
small reserves decorated with fishes, crabs, and
prawns, Figure painting in the green family is not
uncommon, Si-Wang-Mu on the borders of the Lake
of Gems, mounted warriors in a battle scene or
simply marching, and various other military subjects
are not uncommon. The ancient pine-tree and the
peony are frequently met with, but it is the green,
one of the most beautiful enamel colours ever used,
which constitutes the attraction in this “ famzlle verte”
class, to which family belong many of the figures
now known as Ming figures, such as the dog of Fé,
having a white body with yellow, green and gold
protuberances, green head and green, grey, and red
mane and tail. The bases of such figures are usually
in diamond or other diapers, which may be further
decorated with a single red peach blossom, The
earlier Ming figures as a rule have the flesh, face,
arms, and hands unglazed.

230

GREEN FAMILY—“‘ FAMILLE VERTE.”

A rare and very beautiful oviform Vase, containing on the body two
large panels, one with a bird on the branch of a plum-tree, the other
with a peony on the branch of a tree under which is a large chrysan-
themum and foliage. On each side there are two other panels, one
circular, the other leaf shape; these contain as to the former insects,
and the latter, cocks. All the panels are surrounded with a narrow
border of yellow, black, and aubergine; the body of the vase richly
enamelled with flowers and foliage in blue, green, and aubergine, on
a bright black ground. At the base is a broad band of formal design
in aubergine, yellow, and rouge de fer, on apple-green. At the
bottom of the neck is a broad band with flowers in rouge de fer,
green, blue, and aubergine, on a stippled black ground ; this is divided
by four reserves containing carp and other fishes in rouge de fer, green,
and black, on white, the borderings of green and yellow ; under this is
a band of Joo-e-headsin aubergine, blue, and green, alternately, depend-
ing from a narrow margin containing a formal design in rouge de fer
and green on a black ground. The neck has two leaf-shaped panels
containing river scenes; the remainder decorated in uniformity to
the vase. At the top of the neck is a key design in black on
green; depending from this a wave pattern border in aubergine, black,
and green; this is repeated at the base of the neck, having under it a
narrow band containing chrysanthemums and foliage in rouge de fer,
aubergine, green, and yellow on stippled green ground. The whole of
the panels in rich ‘‘ famzlle verte’ colours. Kang-he period.

NoTEe.—The connoisseur will at once detect in this vase qualities
hardly ever met with in Chinese porcelain. The technique leaves
nothing to be desired, and the quality of the enamels and porcelain is
of the very highest.

From the Collection of G. R. Davies, Esq.

231

GREEN FAMILY—“‘ FAMILLE VERTE.”

The long, slim ladies’ figures so often found in the decoration of
very fine Kang-He blue and white represent what were known to the
Dutchmen as Lange Lijsen, Lange Lysen, or ‘slender damsels.” This
name is familiar in its English form of ‘* Long Elizas.” The older pieces
gave these figures very large heads, which later were drawn smaller.
The style of hairdressing is also different. Bearing in mind the fact
that imitations continued right down through the dynasties, drawing
alone cannot be relied on as an indication of age.

Our illustration is an egg-shell Lantern, one of a pair, in the finest
quality ‘‘ famille verte”? on white. It shows a court lady and gentle-
man playing ‘‘ Go,” seated upon a terrace. At the table is also seated
anobleman of high rank, five other female figures being attendants.
The remainder of the decoration is of trees with flowering branches,
clouds, rocks, &c. Surrounding the neck is a diaper design in auber-
gine and black on a bright green ground, this band being intersected
with four small reserves containing flowers in green and yellow on a
white ground ; the neck has trellis design in rouge de fer on a white
ground, relieved with four flowers in green and black; the base is
similarly treated, and above this is a broad band of brilliant green
enamel decorated with a pencilled Grecian key design in black.
Kang-he period.

232

Sees

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233

234

= ——

GREEN FAMILY—“FAMILLE VERTE.”

The illustration is a set of three Vases of the highest quality ‘‘ famzdle
verte,” square-shaped, tapering towards the base, decorated with enamel
colours in which green predominates, but with fine blues, soft yellows,
and black. The middle vase represents two views. On the left is a
mountain stream running through a deep gorge with rocks and moun-
tain peaks rising in the middle and far distance. In the foreground is
one man riding and another walking across the bridge over the stream.
On the right is a similar background of mountains. Down the stream
is a boatman steering his laden boat by the aid of a pole. Nearer is a
house with a lady looking out at the door. Below is a man fishing.

On the left vase there are two scenes from everyday life. One
represents a man playing the Azz, or Chinese lute; below a man is
talking to a boy ; a horse stands behind them. The other shows two
men playing ‘‘go bang” whilst a lady looks on, near them, on the
other side of the hedge, two men are conversing during a walk. On
the neck of the vase is a cheow or show character, meaning longevity.

On the right vase, left side, is a house in the foreground with a
mountain scene stretching away in the distance. From the window ot
the house a Taoist is speaking with Leu Tung-pin, one of the eight
immortals, whose feet are on the clouds, whilst his sword is as usual
slung across his back. On the other side, high up amongst the hills,
are Lange Lyzen, one of whom is dancing. Below are two dignitaries
in conversation with a servant standing near. In the foreground of
both sides are trees in a landscape. Kang-he period.

235

GREEN FAMILY—“ FAMILLE VERTE.”

This example shows how faithfully the Chinese could utilise the
scenes of their daily life for illustration. .In this respect it is well
worthy of careful study. It belongs to the Kang-he period.

A large beaker-shaped Vase of the highest quality “‘ famzlle verte,”
finely drawn, and decorated with subjects illustrating the rice industry.
Near the base is the figure of a man ploughing the rice field, with a
water buffalo, in aubergine and yellow. Just above, inside a building,
which is of aubergine and green, is a man sorting the rice. Again,
above this, on the left, are two girls, one in a yellow robe, the other in
blue, preparing the twine necessary for laying out the field. On the
other side are children and women in green, yellow, and blue robes,
gathering the rice; whilst underneath these are two men showing the
process of weighing. In the centre, above this, are three other figures,
one carrying the rice in a tray, and the others showing the process of
winnowing. The remainder of the body of the vase has finely drawn
trees with flowering branches thickly enamelled, whilst at the top is a
broad diaper-pattern band with yellow flowers on a green ground; this
band has at top and bottom a narrow margin ot aubergine, and is inter-
sected with four small reserves containing utensils in green, yellow,
aubergine, and black, on a white ground. The neck is similarly
enamelled, and shows on one side men sowing the rice, and on the
other a lady is reclining, whilst in front of her are two attendants.

236

238

j
1

GREEN FAMILY—“‘ FAMILLE VERTE.”

Large hexagonal Arrow Stand.

Although the Chinese think very highly of a life free from worldly
turmoil, yet they were warriors too. Here we have a fine example of a
porcelain arrow stand, decorated with raised ornament, with pierced
ornament, and with fine enamel colouring. We note the peach branch
—emblem of marriage and long life—to which magic virtues were
attributed. Possibly this emblem indicated the reward of the warrior;
when his-work as a soldier was finished. The presence of the
immortals, again, was the expression of the universal desire for long
life which has always existed in China, and the immortals, who had
eaten the peach—the fruit of immortality—represent this ever-to-be-
coveted object. Referring to the illustration, the arrow stand is deco-
rated in high relief, with peaches on branches in aubergine, rouge de fer,
green, and yellow, on a white ground. At the top is a broad band
richly enamelled in “ famzd/e verte” colours with flowers and foliage
on a stippled ground bordered with the key design in black on
bright green. Separating a band of Joo-e-heads, enamelled in yellow,
blue, green, and black, is a narrow margin in plain apple-green. At
the base are six reclining figures of immortals in ‘‘ famzlle verte” colours,
whilst above these is a band similar to that at the top. This is sup-
ported on a hexagonal base richly enamelled with flowers in ‘‘ famille
verte” colours. Period, Kang-he.

13 239

GREEN FAMILY—“ FAMILLE VERTE.”

The Vase given as an illustration belongs to the ‘‘ famille verte”
class, and deserves careful attention from the fact that it is useful to be
able to read off the points in any given piece. Take the shape first.
It is a gourd-shaped bottle with spreading mouth. On it are seen three
circular panels, called also reserves or compartments. The bottom
one, as may be easily seen, contains a basket of flowers with a ribbon
on the top. The one on the left is filled with utensils—a word used
for this kind of decoration. Note the vases with flowers, the books
bound with a filet and the leaf symbol. The other round panel shows
a bird on a branch of the peony in flower. Butterflies, &c., are also
shown,

The groundwork of the two bulging bodies is a diaper pattern of the
most elaborate curl-work, through which runs a conventional pattern of
stems, leaves, and flowers of the peony.

Now begin at the spreading mouth and trace the diapers downwards.
The first pattern is the ‘‘ flowered honeycomb,” then a small rectangular
diaper. Passing to the base of the first bulge, we find a narrow ‘‘ Joo-e-
head” band, below that “flowered octagons and squares,” then
flowered ‘‘triangle-work” in another band. Still more ‘ flowered
octagons and squares” follow, having next below a diaper of ‘‘ treble
scale” pattern. Last of all comes alternately a light and dark
rectangular pattern. It will be noted that the diapers are broken by
small ‘‘ Joo-e-head ” reserves painted with utensils, flowers, and views.
Kang-he period. Decoration of the reserves in ‘‘ famzlle verte.”

240

COLOURED ENAMELS 243

C-—THE POWDERED BLUE, WITH ENAMEL
COLOURS.

The powder or powdered blue family has been
referred to already and the manner in which the blue
is applied has been explained. Though this colour,
like the others, had perhaps its rise, and its greatest
perfection, in the Kang-he period, yet many speci-
mens of extremely fine quality are ascribed to Yung-
ching and Keen-lung. There are, however, no
specimens of true powder-blue that belong to any
other than the Kang-he period. The art was
evidently lost, and when it was attempted, in the
reign of the Emperor Keen-lung, the nearest approach
was what is known as mazarine blue, which is entirely
different, being much heavier in tone and not
powdered, and it is these pieces which have “ famzlle-
vose” decoration, and this places beyond all doubt the
period to which they belong. Where the powder-
blue has reserves, as is almost always the case, they
may be filled with decoration in blue under the glaze,
or with “famille verte” applied over the glaze. Or
again, and in the later periods of Yung-ching and
Keen-lung, the various shaped white reserves may
have “famille rose” decoration. Similar flowers were
used in decorating these pieces in reserves, as we
have mentioned before. A general test of the older
pieces is the presence of the joo-e head, which either
ornaments the rims in small panels or is the shape
adopted for the large panels. These are decorated
with garden landscapes with figures, and official
emblems in various colours such as green, yellow,
grey, red, and even other blue enamel colours. Other
scenes represent the god of longevity presenting the

244 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

red peach of long life to a child held by a person of
rank. Generally, however, the subjects used have
decorations varying comparatively little, although the
treatment of these subjects differs considerably in the
colour scheme.

246

POWDER-BLUE WITH “FAMILLE VERTE” AND WITH
BLUE AND WHITE DECORATION.

(2) A powder-blue Pot and Cover. The body has two large square-
shaped panels decorated with flowers, birds, &c., in ** famille verte” ; it
also has two panels form of pomegranate fruit decorated in greens and
red, and two fan-shaped panels with flowers in black on a yellow ground.
The lid has two panels form of peach fruit in greens and red, and two
fan-shaped panels with flowers, &c., in ‘‘ “amdl/e verte.” Very unusual
specimen. Kang-he.

A pair of powder-blue teapots relieved with panels decorated with
flowers in ‘‘ famille verte.” The lids are surmounted with so-called
kylins, dogs of F6, or Corean lions. Kang-he.

(2) An elegant-shaped powder-blue Vase, relieved with various Joo-e-
head panels, decorated with flowers, &c., beautifully enamelled in
‘* famille verte,” with gold pencilling between panels. Mounted with
a rim of ormolu. Kang-he.

A pair of powder-blue bottle-shaped Vases with three Joo-e-head-
shaped panels on the body, decorated with vases, utensils, &c., in blue
and white, and three leaf-shaped panels decorated with flowers, butter-
flies, &c., on the neck, also in blue and white. Kang-he period. The
panels of vases, &c., are often decorated with emblems of the seasons by
means of flowersand landscapes. Thus, spring may be shown by a moun-
tain scene with the prunus or peach in bloom before its leaves appear, or
by another with two ladies under the willow. Spring flowers are the large
white magnolia or the yulan with the peony. The yulan magnolia is.
often confounded with the guelder-rose, though the former, like the
peach, blossoms before its leaves appear. It is a magnolia, one of
_ eighty-five species. Summer is pictured by pines, poplars, reeds, lotus,
hydrangea, pinks, and flags; autumn by chrysanthemums, birds,
butterflies, russet leaves of the oak and its acorns, by scenes of ladies
gathering fruit, and of swollen rivers and autumn tints generally.
Winter is indicated by the prunus or plum, by early roses or winter
scenes.

247

POWDER-BLUE WITH “FAMILLE VERTE” DECORATION.

A pair of very fine quality, large size, powder-blue Plates with Joo-e-
shaped panels in the centre, and eight small panels or reserves round
the border. It will be noticed that the patterns of the decoration on
the two plates is not the same. The central panel on the left has a fine
landscape with figures in conversation. The smaller panels are alter-
nately decorated with a small landscape, and with flowers. The gilt
pattern, too, so often used with powder-blue, and so quickly lost, is
clearly shown on the blue ground, giving a further decoration of flowers
not alone in compartments, but also over all the blue surface. The
‘other plate has the central panel decorated with a landscape and some
striking cloud forms. The small panels are all decorated with flowers.
There are only traces of the formal golden chrysanthemum pattern,
which, besides, is again different to that on the other plate. Both have
a mountainous coast scene in the distance with a pagoda and trees.
Both, too, in middle distance a house and a weeping willow. Besides
this class of powder-blue with green family decoration, it is also very
effective, though not so brilliant, with blue under-glaze landscapes,
figures, and flowers in similar panels to those we have described—that
is, the Joo-e-head panel. Special attention should be paid to the varia-
tion of the Joo-e outline. The Joo-e-head itself is given amongst the
symbolical marks. The catalogue description is sometimes like this,
** Joo-e head-shaped reserves,” or again ‘‘Joo-e-head-shaped Y diaper.”
Kang-be period.

248

249

250

MAZARINE: BLUE.

A pair of mazarine blue Jars and Covers, having two leaf-shaped
panels. These are from a set of five, three vases and two beakers.
These are finely decorated with storks and other birds and flowers
in ‘‘ famille rose’? enamel. Various small panels as on the covers are
similarly decorated with flowers. The covers themselves are sur-
mounted by dogs of F6 or Corean lions. These are ascribed to Keen-
lung, and may be taken as an attempt to copy Kang-he powder-
blue. They are covered with a rich blue enamel named mazarine,
after the cardinal of that name. This is opaque and generally darker
in colour than the powder-blue. One is applied as a colour enamel—
that is mazarine ; the other is colour powdered or dabbed on—that is
powder-blue. The mazarine blue comes really under the Celadon
class as a ‘‘self” colour. The leaf-shaped panels or reserves are in
white surrounded by a faint dull red outline of the leaf. The blue
enamel is not alone used with ‘‘ famz//e rose” decoration as in the illus-
tration, but it is also combined with ‘‘ /amz//e verte” either with or with-
out red scroll-work as a ground diaper. The vases made in pairs have
usually a right and a left—that is, the pattern is reversed. Here we
have an example of the contrary, the two specimens are identical.
The leaf-panel runs down from the top to the point at the bottom on
the right in both, and birds, flowers, and trees are as nearly alike as
possibly could be expected.

Nots.—The decoration in blue enamel colour was an addition of
the early part of the Tsing dynasty; no Ming specimen has been
identified having the blue over the glaze.

251

252 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

D.—GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY—“ FAMILLE
JAUNE.”

An elegant combination is found in this early
product, where the two prominent colours are green
and yellow. Sometimes the body may have a black
ground covered with almost invisible green glaze, but
the main decoration is green, aubergine, and yellow,
although other colours such as red, especially red

-triangle work, is frequently found. These pieces pro-

bably originated in the Ming period, but were recopied
later. They have reserves such as those mentioned
before, decorated with Buddhist emblems or with
subjects such as a prince and princess of the Imperial
house walking in a garden with two Ho-Ho birds,
and a landscape where ladies are conversing and
men are in attendance. Amongst the symbols are
to be found the official one of the branch of coral
with the peacock’s feathers. The diapers are very
varied and the joo-e-head decoration is frequently
found. The frontispiece gives a good idea of this
form of decoration, and its description should be
noted.

In speaking of the rare examples, yellow-ground, as
well as black and green, could be ranked quite in the
first order; in fact, they are almost the rarest kind.
Specimens of these families were made at the end of
the Ming period, and it is a very moot point to-day
whether the fine examples, which we know, belong to
the end of the Ming or the beginning of the Kang-he.

254

GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY—“ FAMILLE JAUNE.”

A tall square taper-shape Vase, decorated with a bold design of lotus
flowers, foliage, and birds, in various greens, aubergine, and black on
brilliant yellow ; on the shoulders in each corner is a Joo-e-head design
in aubergine and green ; the edgings in white biscuit with black border-
ings. This is a very interesting decoration. The surface of the water
is represented by the numerous short horizontal lines. In the water,
the lotus, the sweet-flag, and other water-loving plants are growing, just
as if the artist had made his drawing from the banks of an actual pond
in the open air. Besides being beautiful, the lotus is the sacred flower
of Buddha. Its large tulip-like flowers may be white or tinted pink,
blue or yellow, and they hang over broad leaves, in shape like the
nasturtium leaf. It does not lie upon the water like the water-lily, but
stands up from it upon a strong stem. The drawing shows bud, flower,
and seed-pod. It is the last which is usually carried as an emblem by
the goddess, Ho Seen-koo, though it may be a bud or a full-blown
flower. The lotus belongs to the water-lily family, and the sacred
lotus was anciently used in religious rites in Egypt and Assyria, whilst
the Greeks dedicated it to the nymphs. Its constant use as an emblem
seems to come from its wheel-like form. Like the Chakra, or ‘‘ Wheel
of the Law,” it typifies the doctrine of perpetual cycles of existence. In
fact, the spokes of the Chakra are often lotus-shaped. Kang-he period.

255

GREEN AND YELLOW FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE JAUNE.”

An oval-shaped Jardiniére, decorated with a diaper design in brilliant
green and yellow enamels. The body is divided into four quatrefoil-
shaped panels containing altar utensils and vases, which are most
artistically drawn and enamelled in various greens, yellows, aubergine,
and black, on a white ground. The diaper pattern which forms the
groundwork is the diamond design, but the double lines cutting the
diamond are so arranged to form the swastika. The swastika—‘‘ the
ten thousand things ’’—is sometimes found as a mark upon blue and
white or painted Chinese porcelain of fine quality. It may occur
alone, or with a border of two oblongs like a seal shape, or four swa-
stikas may be found in a similar border. In the front of the quatrefoil-
shaped panel on the vases is another symbol, one of the hundred Cheous
or Shows, the emblem of longevity. The curious instrument lying
behind the vases is the lute wrapped in its cover. This stringed instru-
ment consists of a board four feet long eighteen inches wide, convex
above and flat below, where two holes open into hollows. There are
seven strings. It is very ancient and constitutes an emblem of har-
mony. As Confucius writes: ‘‘ Happy union with wife and children
is like the music of lutes and harps.’’? The other instrument repre-
sents a guitar, which was made in many forms, from the bamboo stick
thrust into a cylinder of the same material, having only two strings, to
the #7fa, having four strings, like those of the violin. Kang-he.

256

£s
$

257

COLOURED ENAMELS 259

E—CORAL RED GROUND.

If there is another class which deserves mention it
is that having a coral red ground thickly powdered
it may be with white chrysanthemum leaves and
flowers, decorated with joo-e-head ornaments or
ornamented with deep rose, grey and white, yellow
and white, pale blue and white, prunus blossom
powdered upon a golden iced diaper, the emblem of
the coming spring. This coral red ground—* rouge
de fer” —differs from all the others in this class because
it is an under-glaze decoration. It is essentially
a Kang-he production, although some very fine
specimens have the Keen-lung mark.

The reader has no doubt noticed the rivalry
between these periods, and the values of coral
red specimens are more affected by quality than
perhaps by age.

CORAL RED GROUND—* ROUGE DE FER.”

The piece of coral was an emblem of the official class, and this coral-
red ground is, as its name implies, an imitation of this. It is an
under-glaze ground, in which the colour was derived from iron.
Over-glaze enamels were used for decoration with fine effect, such as
the greens, the yellows, and the reds from gold. Blue over the glaze
dates from Kang-He, and it is early.

Our illustration shows a very fine cylindrical Jar, with receding
neck and spreading lid with knob. The body decorated with formal
scroll and leaf pattern, with a double band of conventional white
lotus. The shoulder and base decorated with a broad band of
Joo-e-shaped reserves, bordered alternately with narrow bands of blue
and grey edged with green; the smaller space between edged with
a paler green. Red reserves, so formed, decorated with conventional
chrysanthemums with brilliant green leaves. On the shoulder above,
four circular, green-edged, white medallions, and four oval, green-
edged, red spaces ornamented with chrysanthemum flowers. At the
base a narrow band of green and red diamond rice diaper on a white
ground. The neck decorated with two shaped oval red medallions,
edged with grey on a speckled green ground powdered with red
chrysanthemum. The reserve decorated with coiled white fire dragons
(mang) among white fire-forms on a coral-red ground. Above and
below this decoration, narrow bands of scroll and flower diaper
patterns, Lid with a slightly decorated white knob, ornamented with
similar pattern to that on the shoulder of the vase. Height, 21 in.
Period, Kang-he.

260

262

CORAL RED GROUND—“ ROUGE DE FER.”

The dragon is the Emperor’s emblem, as the phoenix or Fong-Hoang
is that of the Empress. We find the “ /ung” or ‘‘ long” dragon of
the sky, the ‘‘/” dragon of the sea, and the ‘‘£zau” dragon of the
marshes. There are scaly dragons, and others winged, horned, horn-
less, and rolled. The four highest ranks of princes are permitted to
use the five-clawed dragon, but the fifth rank of the princes and the
mandarins use a dragon or serpent with four claws. ‘This, treated
conventionally, is the well-known ‘‘ mang” which is shown in the
body and necks of the vase used as an illustration. The expressions,
‘¢ dragon’s seat,” ‘‘dragon’s bed,” ‘‘ dragon’s face,” ‘‘ dragon’s head,”
&c., are easily understood when ‘‘ emperor” is substituted for
‘* dragon.”

A tall, rouleau-shaped Vase, containing six circular panels with
formal floral design in ‘‘ rouge de fer,” blue, and white, on apple-green ;
the body of the vase with dragons and formal flowers in yellow, blue,
green, white, and aubergine, on deep “‘ rouge de fer.”” At the base is a
narrow band of diaper design with black lines on green ground ;. this
contains four small reserves with a flower and foliage in “ rouge de fer”
and green on a white ground, the bordering of yellow and blue. The
band separating the neck has a running dragon and clouds in blue ;
yellow, ‘‘ rouge de fer,’’ and white, on apple-green ; whilst the neck is
treated uniformly with the body of the vase, excepting that at the top
there is a narrow band of diaper pattern in aubergine, green, and
black, with four small reserves containing fruit and foliage in ‘* rouge
de fer’? and green on white ground. Period, Kang-he.

263

264 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

F.—THE ROSE FAMILY— F4m_ce Rose.”

We noted that the rose enamel was used in
decoration by Yung-ching. The same rose deco-
ration was continued by Keen-lung, which had an
especial form of decoration consisting of the rose
and white peony with the prunus—the so-called
hawthorn. Frequently, too, there is a swastika -
trellis. We have dealt somewhat fully with the
ruby-back plates as a branch of the rose family.
This ruby and peach blossom rose ground was
applied to vases with very telling effect. As, in the
black family, the ground was a black covered with an
almost invisible green glaze, so in this family we get
a peach blossom rose ground often powdered with
pale blue, yellow, grey and white chrysanthemum
blossoms. The reserves are often fan-shaped, and
the decoration in these reserves consists of the usual
subjects or emblems in brilliant enamel colours.
Similar flowers to those noted before as the emblems
of the seasons are frequently found. These include
pale rose and blue.and white peony, pale rose and
white rose, peach blossom, chrysanthemums, the
oleander with single rose and white prunus blossom.
These rose pieces are extremely elegant and very
rare. They date from the Yung-ching period, in
which they reached their highest perfection, under
Keen-lung the standard of excellence was nearly
as high.

ROSE FAMILY—‘ FAMILLE ROSE.”
Fege-Shell Porcelain. Ruby-Back Plates.

The central Plate has the rim decorated with the noted octagon and
square diaper pattern so often found on egg-shell pieces, and used on
every piece shown in the photograph. This pattern is often inter-
cepted by reserves. The plate has three leaf-shaped reserves decorated
with white peony, ruby peach, and yellow persimmon. There are
three other reserves having formal golden flowers with green leaves.
The whole centre of the plate represents a domestic scene where a lady
of high rank, seated, is giving instructions to two children. In the
background are vases and a table on which is a plant. The back of the
rim is ruby coloured. Diameter, 84 inches. Period, Keen-lung. The
two other plates are also ruby-backed. They have on the rim three
Joo-e-head reserves containing fruit and flowers in brilliant colours.
The central decoration consists of vases of flowers in enamels of the
finest quality. The octagon and square diaper pattern is blue on the
inner rim and pink on the broad band forming the outer rim.
The cups and saucers are no less beautiful. The border is re-
lieved with reserves, and the inner rim of octagon and square diaper
surrounds a hexagonal central reserve of Joo-e-head design. In this
reserve there are baskets of flowers and bouquets in brilliant colours
enamelled on a white ground. This group shows many of the pecu-
liarities of the rose family decoration with regard to diaper pattern,
shape of the reserves, and the general character of the ornament.

267

EGG-SHELL PORCELAIN,

An oviform egg-shell Vase, beautifully painted, with ladies in the
landscape carrying vases. The whole in rich enamel colours. Yung-
ching period. Height, 194 in. without stand. This is one of the
largest known examples of egg-shell porcelain. This vase is painted
in the most elaborate and beautiful style, which was brought to great
perfection under Keen-lung. Some collectors are inclined to attribute
such egg-shell with delicate pencillings to the Yung-ching era, though
specimens which have been found with marks have been Keen-lung,
and as time passes on Yung-ching will secure more and more support.

The lady carrying the vase is looking to her companion. Between
them is an animal, either a deer or a kylin. The vase contains a
branch of coral and two peacock’s feathers, indicating a mandarin who
has risen three steps at a time, as the coral and four feathers indicate a
rise of five steps. The paintings of the figures and the vegetation are
most minutely executed, and the rich enamels are delicately shaded
with “ verte,” ‘¢ yose,” and other tints, showing tree-stems and
rocks in their natural colours. As in all classes, some specimens are
better than others, but this piece is one of unsurpassed excellence. To
this egg-shell class belong the ruby-back plates, which are amongst
the most desirable specimens of Chinese art. The same delicate hand-
ling in painting and colouring distinguishes them all. Figures are
enamelled in pale green, pink, yellow, &c.; trees with green foliage
have their trunks and branches with sepia on a pale lavender ground,
whilst the cloud forms, slightly defined, fade away into the distance.

268

269

Pa whe ar artiapie ta ooh

ie ss

Aopeings tie

COLOURED ENAMELS 271

G.—OTHER ENAMEL COLOURS.

The decorations of the green family are rather
severe in character. They might be termed Chinese
classical, because they are so largely influenced by
religion. The same remarks apply to the black
family. The rose family, on the contrary, with its
lovely borders and varied designs, generally repre-
sents familiar Chinese subjects and scenes from
social life.

The enamel colours which follow are amongst the
rarest and most beautiful products of China, taking
rank with those pieces which are never dear, though
the prices at which they are sold may be astonishing.

APPLE-GREEN GROUND.

The coloured glazes are very numerous, but the apple-green ground
is rare and consequently very much valued. Besides the painting,
these pieces, having coloured grounds, are further decorated by orna-
ment raised in relief, or pierced, when the paste is soft, with
reticulations.

The Chinese made puzzle cups with a small figure of a man inside,
which would hold a liquid till it reached his shoulder, when the whole
of the contents were syphoned out through a hole in the bottom of the
cup. They also made puzzle vases or jugs, having a raised hollow coil
round the neck, which, through the handle, was connected with the
interior of the vessel. The old English puzzle jug had a similar
device, in which the difficulty was to drink the contents without
spilling them.

Here is a Puzzle Teapot or Wine-pot in the form of a
peach, the Fruit of Life ; the groundwork of pale apple-green deco-
rated with flowers in yellow, aubergine, green, and black. In the
centre on either side is a large white panel containing in the one a
gentleman of rank with an attendant bringing him tea; this is deco-
rated in various greens, yellow, and aubergine. On the other side is a
house towards which is coming a flying stork; this is enamelled in
similar colours, and both panels are surrounded by a cloud design in
yellow, green, aubergine, and black. The base, spout, and handle
have black patches on aubergine ground; while both the latter are held
to the body by branches of leaves which are in high relief and
enamelled in brilliant green. Ming biscuit, so-called.

272

oe ee
~ Se

273

274

APPLE-GREEN GROUND. LANG-YAO.

An unusual form of decoration is shown in this illustration. In
China the carp and perch are often found in the decoration of small
reserves. Indeed, the immortals are often drawn standing upon a fish,
and modelled as figures standing on fishes, crabs, or crawfish. The effects
of fish culture as carried on by the Chinese is very marked in the case
of the carp, which are often seen with monster-like projecting eyes and
tufted or lobed tails. They are kept in garden ponds or in large jars in
which are placed rocks covered with moss and water-plants, which
furnish the decoration in the illustration. The wonderful drawing ot
the fish in all sorts of positions is to be noted. So, too, is the
marvellous arrangement of the water-plants, which fall gracefully into
the scheme of decoration. All is still in the deep water, but on the
shoulders are the water-lilies, and above them are the waves seemingly
agitated by the rough wind. Torecapitulate and to give the colours we
specially call attention to this fine pair of square taper-shaped vases
which are in all probability unique as a pair, decorated with fishes and
aquatic plants in aubergine, green, yellow, black, and white, on a pale
apple-green ground ; the edges and borderings of yellow enamel. At
the shoulders over each corner is a water-lily with foliage in green,
yellow, and black; the necks decorated with horses in yellow and
aubergine, going through waves of green and white enamel ; the upper
portion of pale apple-green. Called Lang-yao to indicate that it was
discovered by Lang Ting-tso superintendent of the Imperial works at
King-te-chin. This piece is Kang-he.

275

DELICATE GREEN GROUND.

A double gourd-shaped Vase, of noble proportions, one of a pair,
decorated with an imposing Vandyke design, containing peonies and a
formal floral design in rich yellow and black enamels on a pale green
ground. Each section is surrounded by a broad band of ‘‘ rouge de fer”
containing formal flowers in white. The top of the lower portion of the
vase has a broad band of diaper design containing formal flowers on
various colour grounds; this band is divided with four reserves, each
containing a formal design in green and ‘‘ rouge de fer” on bright yellow
ground. The waist of the vase has a half-section diaper design in
green and ‘‘ rouge de fer.” Around the neck is a deep band of a bold
trellis design in ‘‘vouge de fer,” blue, yellow, and black. They are
supported on finely chased ormolu bases of Louis XVI. period; the
mounts for the lips ew suzte. Period, Kang-he.

Here, again, we note diaper designs. On the top of the neck isa
honey-comb diaper cut with sectors of a circle forming a geometrical
flower pattern, which is further decorated by white and coloured formal
flowers with six petals. The top of the lower portion has the honey-
comb and square pattern decorated with geometrical flowers, whilst the
lower part of the upper section has the honey-comb diaper with lines
radiating from the centre so as to give a formal flower design.

Fine pieces of old Chinese porcelain are often found mounted in
French ormolu. The examples from the Jones Collection, Victoria
and Albert Museum, are fine pieces of old Crackle porcelain with
finely chased ormolu mounts.

276

DELICATE GREEN GROUND.

A pair of Imperial hedge-sparrow egg tint and white Vases with a
very beautiful clear glaze. The white is a series of scrolls and flowers,
and geometrical designs over the whole of the bodyand neck. Marked
on base ‘‘ Kea-king.’’ Period, 1796-1821. In these two vases may
be seen some of the most delicate and beautiful work of the later
period. In paste, colour, and decoration they are exquisite. The
green class includes apple-green, camellia-green, Celadon, pea-green,
sea-green, and turquoise-green. The delicate green, indicated by the
term ‘‘ hedge-sparrow egg tint,’ is just a shade different from all of
the others, and the application of the white enamel decoration over the
green is most artistic and delicate. The conventional desigm is based
upon a flower and its leaves, though the Joo-e-head and swastika are
easily seen, the former below the central flower, and two swastikas, one
on each side. At the top of the neck below the lip is a diaper of Joo-e-
heads. The bottom of the neck has a Greek key pattern, so has the
bottom rim. On the shoulder is a border of Joo-e-heads and conven-
tional bats. The swastika is a mystical sign, with which is associated
a hidden meaning of a religious kind. It is regarded as the emblem of
the heart of Buddha—that is, his inner true teaching. It has also 4
further signification : it indicates ten thousand years. The bat and the
Too-e-head are treated in the section on Symbols, but we may say that
the bat is an emblem of felicity, and the Joo-e of amity and goodwill.

279

AUBERGINE ENAMEL GROUND.

A very remarkable pair of aubergine flat-shaped Vases with lion-head
ring handles; the decoration is a spray of chrysanthemums in blue,
green, and white, on the one side; and a spray of hawthorn in white,
aubergine, green, and blue, on the reverse, in brilliant enamels in sunk
relief. Supported on carved wood stands. Extreme height, including
stand, 12} inches. Ming. Aubergine is a very difficult colour to
describe. It is the colour of the fruit of the egg-plant, from which the
name is derived. It has a remarkable range of tints, but the pre-
dominant one is purple, on the one side it becomes almost sepia and on
the other almost orange. It is rarely used as a ground colour as it is
in this case, but it is a delightful thin wash applied when thick enamels
cannot be used, and it is so transparent that a darker colour can be
seen through it. Hence its frequent use in the trunks of trees and in
branches of flowers where the markings of the bark may be made visible.
Again, it is frequently employed in painting the roofs of houses where
a wide wash gives a bold and highly decorative effect, the purple shade
being transparent allows the black, in which the design is sketched, to
show through. In the example given not alone is the ground of auber-
gine, but other shades of the same colour are used in the decoration,
which has this unusual feature, it is not raised, but depressed or
sunk in.

281

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282

MANDARIN CHINA.

Painted in colours over the glaze, with gilt scroll-work. This pair of
conical egg-shell Vases with short necks is 18 in. high. There is no
mark. M. Jacquemart divides the Mandarin class into seven sections,
which he distinguishes by the decoration :—

(I) Pieces having painted in compartments with Indian ink back-
grounds and gold borders.

(2) Where the spaces between the reserves or compartments are
covered with gilt scroll-work diaper or pattern as in the illustration.

(3) With black borders and key pattern in gilt, usually having iron-
red grounds.

(4) With variegated grounds, designs in iron-red and black, pink and
other colour filagree-work.

(5) With spaces between the reserves covered with round dots or
points resembling shagreen either green or white. When the dots and
ground are white the Chinese name it ‘‘chicken’s flesh.”

(6) With indented wreaths or flowers traced in the paste and
decoration in under-glaze blue and over-glaze enamelled medallions.

(7) In camazew or in a single colour under or over the glaze, usually
mandarin, blue and white.

The egg-shell Mandarin is the best of this class. Generally the
porcelain is rather thick than thin. Often it has the wavy surface
which shows that it has been cast and moulded. Then, too, the
decoration is usually painted, not enamelled. This process changes
the tone of the colouring. The rose tints derived from gold become
purplish ; lilac, water-green, bright iron-red, and a curious rust-colour
called chamois are common. Stippling and hatching are applied to the
flesh and to the folds of the draperies. Often the ground-work with
its dotted surface is covered with turquoise-green or turquoise-blue.
The paintings on the reserves of the examples given will show the
miniature-like character of the decoration. The examples given are
Keen-lung.

283

PORCELAIN
OF THE
EAST INDIA
COMPANY

CHAPTER XX
PORCELAIN OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

AFTER having passed in review the different pro-
ducts of purely Chinese taste in which the shapes,
the style of decoration, and the painting were all
local and national, we will examine another class
of porcelain holding for us considerable interest,
because it includes a whole series of pieces made
in vast quantities for the European market. It is
usually known under the name of the “porcelain of
the East India Companies.” By what aberration of
taste or by what commercial necessity had the repre-
sentatives of the famous East India Companies—
English and Dutch—sought to impose new models
upon Chinese potters? Here was a people with the
highest technical skill in potting, endowed with a
sense of decoration equally pure and developed, set
to imitate examples which were considerably outside
the sphere of their proper work. It was the fashion
during the eighteenth century for noble families and
their imitators to possess a service of porcelain made
in China or Japan, the decoration of which consisted
of coats of arms or crests. Other reproductions of
the period included copies of engravings by men who
threw away treasures of patience and ability without

understanding what they had to execute. They
287

288 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

simply imitated, and therefore never produced real
artistic work except when, as sometimes happened,
they painted grotesque figures instead of the persons
whom they were supposed to copy on their porcelain.
Still, apart from this criticism, there are many inter-
esting pieces amongst these copies. England, France,
and Holland were all eager for such Chinese speci-
mens. Even the figures such as “ The Dutch Skipper
and the Chinese Lady” were exceedingly interesting
if somewhat uncommon. Then there is a set of five
small statuettes representing Louis XIV. (1643-1715)
and four members of his family. The Chinese artist
had probably only an engraving to guide him, from
which he had to produce a portrait figure of a great
monarch. In hisignorance he translates the Marshal’s
baton into the sacred réle of the Buddhist divinities,
Grotesque as these figures are, they are none the less
remarkable because of the richness of the costumes,
though the ugly little heads and the general wide-
awake air seem somewhat ridiculous. The Dauphin,
for instance, with his mouth wide open, has certainly
an uncommon manner, yet one feels a pleasure that
these five little good-tempered men were able to stand
upon their legs, even if it was with difficulty. Such
statuettes are rare. By far the greater part of the
East India porcelain is decorated with coats of arms,
crests, figure subjects, or monograms surrounded by
roses, On the plates and dishes were reproduced
“The fables of La Fontaine,” which are found side
by side with scenes from the Old and New Testa-
ment, such as the Nativity and the Crucifixion. Then
there are decorations taken from mythology, alle-
gories, celebrated personages, /étes galantes, &c.
Though sometimes failing in colour, the great
majority of the decoration being drawn in Indian
or Chinese ink with very indifferent hatchings for

EAST INDIA COMPANY PORCELAIN 289

the shading, these plates and dishes show the care-
fulness of the Chinese decorator. Even in unfamiliar
surroundings, the figures may be, and are, deplorable,
and how they suffer by contrast with the borders
and the ornaments which surround them, which have
all the perfect taste, admirable composition, and
brilliant execution which distinguish the native
work !

The East India Companies brought to Europe
much porcelain in white, which was meant to be
decorated notably at Venice, Delft, and perhaps at
Chelsea. Such decoration had then nothing Oriental
about it. This explains why some specimens with
Chelsea decoration have a hard paste. The decora-
tion only is Chelsea, quite typical of that factory, but
the form and body are Oriental.

Another method of ornamenting Chinese porcelain
was practised at the end of the eighteenth century,
mainly in Holland, which consisted in the removal
of the glaze in parts, as in engraving upon glass, so
as to design elegant arabesques and garlands in which
the white of the china or body itself appeared through
the thickness of the colour glaze, the white being
tinted more or less according to the depth of the
cutting.

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XXI

IMITATIONS
OF ORIENTAL
PORCELAIN

CHAPTER XXI
IMITATIONS OF ORIENTAL PORCELAIN

CHINESE potters imitated Chinese potters and their
productions for hundreds of years, but it has remained
for later times to produce such imitations in hard
paste as to be almost beyond detection, except by the
expert. Closely studied, however, there are certain
differences—a peculiarity of the tint of the paste,
a loss of brilliance in the colour—which reveal the
European origin. M. Sampson, of Paris, has been
responsible for deceiving more beginners than per-
haps any other maker by his wonderful imitations
of Oriental enamel porcelain. In our own early
English factories we often met with imitations of
Chinese porcelain. with regard to decoration. For
instance, the early blue and white Worcester, the
red and blue under the glaze Worcester, and many
other patterns were direct imitations from the
Chinese ; in fact, the square mark used upon Wor-
cester china was only a copy of a mandarin’s seal,
and other Oriental characters are to be found as
marks upon Worcester china, such as the disguised
numerals, which, more recently, have been ascribed
to Caughley. Of course, the soft paste of Worcester
makes the imitation very easy to detect. The Dresden
factory, which brought Chinese style into prominence
15 293

294 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

in Europe, in its oldest specimens, produced a hard
paste with purely Oriental decoration, and copied
even the intricate borders and medallions in Chinese
style. Under the patronage of Augustus Rex, other-
wise Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony,
Dresden china became celebrated.

Coming again to later times, we find that at
Herend, in Hungary, a manufacturer named Fischer,
at about 1839, made a special feature of the imita-
tion of Oriental porcelain, and his finest specimens
are most deceptive. It is a great shame that pieces
from this factory are so frequently used fraudulently
by unscrupulous dealers. Again, at Talavera, near
Toledo, in the later eighteenth century, perfect
imitations of Oriental china were made, which,
even as imitations, are valued everywhere for the
beauty of the glaze and brilliance of the colour.

It is the slavish attention and too faithfully carry-
ing out the detail that reveals the forgery to the
expert. On this point one might almost say that
the very skilful forgery of a five pound Bank of
England note would deceive an expert, but there
is always some apparently trivial point and detail,
either omitted or added, which makes the forgery
clear to those who really know. —

Although various marks were copied in the seven-
teenth and eighteenth centuries from porcelain belong-
ing to earlier periods, it was not done with the idea
of forgery or deception, but as a mark of reverence
and appreciation of former masters. The mark most
copied was in the reign of Yung-ching, when the
Ching-hwa mark was often introduced into self-colour
pieces.

It may further interest students to learn that many
examples of the old porcelain, which are broken and
yet put together without any of the portions being

ORIENTAL PORCELAIN IMITATIONS 295

lost, are the result of the duty which was levied in the
beginning of the eighteenth century on porcelain
imported into England. Perfect specimens were
liable to heavy charges, damaged ones came in
free, and as at that time the values were in all
probability what is paid to-day for a good modern
plate or vase, or even less, pieces wanted for decora-
tion were broken without any compunction, the pieces
saved, and afterwards stuck together. Such examples
are well worth acquiring, and the fact of the damage
reduces the price, but so long as there are no portions
missing, or the original beauty of the decoration
impaired, the collector will be well advised not to
pass such articles by on account of the break as there
are many very fine examples which were thus
ruthlessly treated.

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ae oN

XXII

SYMBOLICAL
DESIGNS

CHAPTER XXII
SYMBOLICAL DESIGNS

A.—EMBLEMS IN ANIMALS.

WE have already remarked how the Chinese
employed ornament to their works in porcelain,
not alone to please the eye, but to elevate the
mind at the same time. It is evident that the
realisation of these two aims must have been
dependent not alone upon the highest technical
skill, but upon the religious knowledge either
possessed by the artist or handed down in tradi-
tional form from generation to generation. Hence
the character of their work was determined and
imbued by religious influences.

In every age pottery has been a vehicle for the
display of art, and the wonderful productions of the
East embody in symbolised form the highest aspira-
tions of religions with which we are but imperfectly
acqainted.

The deer (Chinese /wh, Japanese roku) is also an
emblem of longevity. A white stag frequently
accompanies the god of longevity. It sometimes
carries in its mouth another emblem, the fungus.
A deer, however, is also used as a symbol of
official emolument or prosperity, having the same

sound as the word for the latter (wd). It is
299

300 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

probably for this reason that we find a fawn
accompanying the Japanese god of talent, Toshitoku.

The fox (Chinese Zu, Japanese kztsu-ne) is con-
sidered, especially in Japan, as a very mysterious
animal. There are several wonderful legends con-
cerning it in Mitford’s “Tales of Old Japan.” It
is said to attain the same age as the hare, when
it is admitted to the heavens and becomes the
celestial fox. It controls the official seals of high
officials.

The hare (Chinese ¢u, Japanese wsagz) is sacred to
the moon, where the Taoists believe it to live,
pounding the drugs that form the elixir of life.
It is stated to live one thousand years, and to
become white when it has reached the first five
hundred years. The hare, often miscalled a rabbit,
occurs on porcelain, both as a decoration and as a
mark.

The stork (Chinese Ao, Japanese ¢suru) is one of
the commonest emblems of longevity. It is said to
reach a fabulous age, and when six hundred years
old to drink, but no longer eat; after two thousand
years to turn black. It occurs as a mark.

The tortoise (Chinese kzwez, Japanese kz or kame)
was also a supernatural animal, and its shell was
used in divination. The tortoise with a hairy tail
is depicted in Japan as an attendant on the god
of old age, and is used as an emblem of longevity.
A Chinese phrase, Kwet-ho-tung-chun, signifies “ May
your days be as long as the tortoise and stork.”

B—EMBLEMS IN TREES.

Among plants are three trees, which, though not
all, strictly speaking, emblems of longevity, are
closely connected with it; these are the pine-tree,

SYMBOLICAL DESIGNS 301

bamboo, and plum. These three trees are termed
by the Japanese in combination Sho-chiku-bat.
The Chinese say “the pine, bamboo, and plum
are like three friends, because they keep green in
cold weather.”

The bamboo (Chinese chuh, Japanese fake) is
another emblem, owing probably to its durability.
Its elegant form causes it frequently to be depicted
on works of art, both in China and Japan.

The gourd (Chinese hu-lu, Japanese hzotan or fuku
be)is also an emblem of longevity, especially in Japan,
owing perhaps to its durability when dried.

The peach (Chinese zao, Japanese momo) is a
symbol of marriage, but also of longevity. Great
virtues were attributed to the peach, especially that
which grew near the palace of Si-Wang-Mu, Queen
of the Genii, on which the fruit ripened but once in
three thousand years. It is represented with a bat
as a mark,

The pine-tree (Chinese sung, Japanese matsu) is a
very common emblem, and to be found on many
specimens. Its sap was said to turn into amber
when the tree was one thousand years old.

The plum-tree or prunus (Chinese ez, Japanese
mume), though not properly an emblem of longevity,
is indirectly connected with it, as the philosopher,
Lao Tsze, the founder of the Taoist sect, is said to
have been born under a plum-tree. It forms the
decoration of the porcelain erroneously termed
“may flower” or “hawthorn pattern.”

C.—EMBLEMS IN FLOWERS.

Artemesia.—The artemesia was used by the Chinese
with the sweet flag to allay pain and to drive away
demons.

302 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Azalea.—The azalea, without having any special
symbolical signification, was eminently useful for
decorative purposes, because, as a common flower
on the hills of the north-east provinces, it gave
brightness to a scene of surpassing beauty in the
central flowery land.

Camellia.—The camellia bears the same name as
the tea plant, and the term cha is used to denote any
infusion, just as the word “tea” is with us, as when
we speak of beef-tea, camomile-tea, and so on,

Chrysanthemum,—Chrysanthemums, like the asters,
were reared for their beauty. They are, perhaps,
the commonest form of flower decoration on
Oriental china, and we cannot be surprised at
this when we consider the variety and the rich-
ness of the colour of this beautiful plant. It was
an emblem of mid-autumn—more than that, it
was a symbol of pleasurable enjoyment—hence its
presence on a piece of porcelain given as a token
of esteem, also a wish that all should be well with
the recipient.

Cockscomb.— The cockscomb was very much
admired by the Chinese, and was not alone used
as a decoration for porcelain, but for many of those
interesting pictures on glass which portray birds and
flowers, and which, though painted in a similar way
to the early paintings on glass known to Western
nations, exceeded them by the brilliancy of their
colours and by their exact resemblance to nature.

Convolvulus.—The convolvulus was painted around
the edges of tanks and pools, not alone for decora-
tion, but because the leaves of some varieties made
a very succulent green food.

Flag, or Iris.—The flag, or iris, known as the
sweet flag, was placed at the doors of houses to
prevent all manner of evil from entering, but it

SYMBOLICAL DESIGNS 303

had a material use as a medicine much used for
its spicy warmth,

Fungus.—The fungus when dried was very durable.
It grew at the roots of trees, and many imitations
of it in gilt wood, or even dried specimens of the
fungus itself, were frequently used as decoration
in the temples. In pictures of Lao-tsze and the
Immortals it is used as a symbol of longevity or
immortality, hence it is found carried in the mouth
of the white stag, which is also an emblem of
immortality. Occasionally it is used as a mark on
the bases of specimens of old Kang-he blue, in which
case it often has lines around its base to represent
the grass through which it grows.

Jasmine.—The jasmine, a sweet-smelling white
flower, is largely grown for its scent, but still more
as a favourite flower amongst the Chinese women
for personal ornament, its twigs and clusters or
blossoms being wound in the hair, and it was
planted in the pots in the houses.

Lotus, or Nelumbium.—The lotus, or melumbium,
was a sacred flower representing the creative power
in the Buddhist religion. Representations of it
frequently occurred not alone in connection with
Buddhism, but also with Taoism. Kwan-Yin is
often shown seated upon the lotus. Ho Seen-koo
has the lotus as her emblem; and, generally,
whether considered with regard to its utility or
to its beauty the sacred lotus was placed by the
Chinese at the head of the cultivated flowers. It
has a very close resemblance to our English
water lily, having the stock inserted near the
centre of the leaf. Both seeds and root are
articles of food, and, when cultivated for that pur-
pose rather than for ornament, covers large areas
of lakes and marshes.

304 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Narcissus.—The narcissus is an emblem of good
luck for the coming year. Just as with us in
England the narcissus is a harbinger of spring, so
in the new year at Canton the budding flowers
of the narcissus, almond, plum, peach, and bell-
flower, all are emblematic, all express a wish for
coming prosperity.

Magnolia,—The magnolia has immense flowers and
has been selected as the emblem of sweetness and
beauty. The name in Chinese means “secretly
smiling,” and to the Chinese it suggests the lovely
smile of a sweet maiden. Where in designs on
porcelain beautiful women are drawn this flower
usually accompanies them. China furnishes several
species of this lovely flowering plant. Its medicinal
use is secured from the bark employed as a febrifuge.

Myrtle.—The myrtle grows as a wild plant with
lovely rose-coloured flowers, one species of it pro-
duces clusters of berries, which are eaten as fruit.

Oleander.—This flower is prized because of its
beauty and fragrance. The tender rose pink lends
itself easily to schemes of porcelain decoration.
Members of the same group, less attractive, but
still pretty, are the yellow milk-weed and the red
periwinkle.

Olive.—The olive is noted for the fragrance of the
clusters of minute flowers of white and yellow. This
plant flowers through a great part of the year. A
branch of sweet-smelling olive was a reward of
literary merit. It was also symbolical of studious
pursuits, and of sweetness generally.

Peach.— The peach blossoms were placed in door-
ways at the New Year as the “peach charm,” A
branch of the tree, covered with blossoms, was
supposed to prevent the entry of evil demons into
the home,

SYMBOLICAL DESIGNS 305

Peony.—Next to the chrysanthemum the peony
was effective in the decoration of Chinese porcelain.
It was a tree in that land, valued for its fine and
variegated flowers. It was emblematical of good
fortune, but if the plant did not supply beautiful
flowers and green leaves, if the leaves fell off and its
flowers suddenly faded, such a change foreshadowed
poverty or some overwhelming disaster. It was also
an emblem of love and affection, and therefore
eminently appropriate for use on presentation pieces
of porcelain.

Poppy.—The poppy was not alone grown for the
production of opium, but for its beautiful flowers.

Rose.—This flower was as great a favourite with
the Chinese as with all other nations. Many
species and varieties were natives of this country.
Like the jasmine, it was used by the women for
personal adornment.

Tobacco.—This plant was grown almost everywhere
in China, but its strength varied according to soil and
climate. In the north it was of a pale colour, while
further south it is said to owe its reddish colour to
being steeped in a solution of opium.

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et ie 7

XXIII

DATE
MARKS ON
ORIENTAL
PORCELAIN

— a

CHAPTER XXIII
DATE MARKS ON ORIENTAL PORCELAIN

THERE was no regular method employed in either
China or Japan for indicating either the time or
place at which the porcelain was made. Neither
was there any mark by which the workman or artist
could be identified. Where marks are used they
indicate the period in a dynasty; still it must be
constantly borne in mind that the old marks were
continually copied in reproductions of a later period
made by the Chinese themselves, and other repro-
ductions produced with much fidelity in Paris and
elsewhere. So that the collector has to be very
careful, especially in buying fine specimens. There
seems to be scarcely nothing worth copying that has
not received full attention at the hands of the forger.
Of course, when these copies are simply offered as
reproductions of old pieces, the purchaser, even if he
pays a large price, has not much to complain of, but
the trouble arises when they are foisted on the public
as genuine. The work is so cleverly done, the imita-
tation is so accurate that only the specialist is able to
detect the fraud. The texture of the porcelain is
closely imitated, and every care is taken to reproduce
the scratches and even the dirt. More than that, old
pieces that have been damaged are restored so as to
16 te

310 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

appear perfectly genuine throughout, whilst real old
pieces, that were originally plain, have been enamelled
with the finest “ famz/le verte” or “famille rose” decora-
tion so as to deceive all but the most skilful expert.
Such a case occurred within the author’s own experi-
ence. An old dish, early Keen-lung, was so decorated
with the finest rose decoration, and only the most care-
ful examination revealed the fact that both decoration
and glaze had been applied in comparatively recent
times—in fact, within a very few years. The owner
was indignant when he was informed of this. How-
ever, he afterwards came back with the information
that he had sold the dish for £20, but he forgot
that if the dish had been really old it would have
been worth not £20 but £120! Too much depend-
ence, therefore, must not be placed upon the marks
or upon the decoration; it is upon the education of
the eye, the ¢out ensemble, really upon the merits of
the specimens themselves, that dealers and collectors
must rely. No training is as good as the handling
of fine old pieces, in which the grain of the porcelain,
the colours of both the porcelain and the decoration
can be studied, and the knowledge thus gained
becomes the experience which is, above everything
else, the necessary equipment to any one who collects
old china.

The Chinese write in characters, each represents
a word, and the commencement is made from the
top of the right-hand side. The columns are read
downwards, but when the characters are in a line
they are read from right to left. The marks may be
in the seal characters, in f/azm characters as employed
in books, or in grass-text as used for rapid writing ;
but all are read in the same way, though the last are
very difficult to read. As there are many variations
in English handwriting, so the Chinese characters

ORIENTAL PORCELAIN DATE MARKS 311

will be found to vary, yet the word would be the
same. Itisin the forgeries that we noted the most
slavish attention to accuracy and the most infinite
pains taken to reproduce the old marks given in the
books. The marks themselves are either painted on
the bases, usually in blue, though on some late pieces
it is found in red, or they may be engraved or
embossed. The Chinese have no centuries for
measuring time, they use instead a cycle of sixty
years, and the precise date as indicated by the cycle
is so seldom used on porcelain that it may be dis-
regarded, as only four or five examples of the
cyclical dates have ever been found. The marks
on porcelain indicate only the reign of the emperor,
who when he comes to the throne adopts two words
as his title or WVzen-hao. Before the coming of the
Ming dynasty, in 1368, these titles were changed in
order to commemorate any striking event, but since
then only one Emperor, who lost his throne in 1450
and regained it after seven years, has changed his
Nien-hao, and only one Emperor, Kang-he, reigned a
whole sixty years, and a cyclical date may have been
used when the thirty-eighth year of the sixty-eighth
cycle recurred. See Mark 1 in date marks. The Ven-
hao was the honorific designation of the Emperor ;
Taou-kwang (1821-1851) was “reason’s lustre,” and
Kwang-hsiu (1875) means “inherited lustre.” Follow-
ing the seal marks, which are read in the same way,
note that the list gives a number of marks having six
characters. Reading these it will be noted that the
one in the top right hand and the next one below it,
marked (1) and (2), are always the same for the same
dynasty—“Ta Ming” or “Ta Tsing” show the
“sreat Ming” or “great Tsing” dynasty. The
bottom sign of the first column (3) and the top
sign of the second column (4) give the Emperor’s

312 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

title or Wzen-hao, whilst the two remaining signify
in descending order “year” or “ period” (5), “ made”
(6). In six-mark characters, arranged in two lines,
the reading is similar, as marked by the figures (1),
(2), &c. In four-mark character the signs for the
dynasty—that is, “Ta Ming” or “Ta Tsing ”—are
left out, and the first two marks show the
period. As before remarked, the forgeries and imita-
tions have been so numerous that the date marks
cannot be accepted as proof of age. The old blue
porcelain—Nankin ware so called—was marked with
six characters until 1677, as mentioned elsewhere.
After that we have the double circle in blue, either
empty or having a symbol in the middle.

The Ming productions have not yet received due
recognition with regard to their beauty of shape and
decoration, but the two periods which are most
represented by the marks are Seuen-Tih (1426-
1436) and Ching-hwa (1465-1488). In the British
Museum are two Celadon bowls with the Seuen-tih
mark, with deep mouldings; to these is affixed on the
label “probably Kang-he.” Then, again, immense
quantities of china appear to have been brought
to Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, much of which was marked “ Ching-hwa.”
Whether during the eighteenth century such porce-
lain could be collected in China for cargo purposes is
a matter of doubt. If not, this is an illustration of
the fact that from an early period the Chinese copied
old forms, decoration, and marks.

HONORIFIC MARKS.

The word ¢ang often occurs in inscribed marks,
which seem to indicate a place of origin. In the list
given it is marked Tang or Hall Marks. These

as ON dip St! ie ==

ORIENTAL PORCELAIN DATE MARKS 313

marks are found on pieces differing considerably in
character, age, and quality. The general opinion is
that the Hall named is the title of the residence of the
Tao-tai, or superintendent of the porcelain works
_ belonging to the Emperor. Other inscribed marks
simply set out praises of the porcelain itself, stating
that it is “a gem among precious vessels of rare
jade,” “a gem rare as jade,” “an elegant rarity,” “ fine
vase for the rich and honourable,” and so on. Some
pieces are found with a seal character embodying a
wish, as “happiness,” “ prosperity,” “ longevity,” and
“harmonious prosperity.” See the list of specimen
Hall Marks, &c., and two others, last on the bottom
line, praising the porcelain.

314 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Fig.', Fie. 2. Fie. 3.

Ne + KE
cl Ay
we
EH

ABE D721, YUEN-FUNG. 1078-1086.) HuNG-woo. 1868-1399.

i
#
Me
by
wi
Q
ao

Fig. 6.

%
a8
Me Ee
tt = >

YUNG-LO. 1403-1425. | seuEn-Tin. 1426-1436. | CHING-HWA. 1465-1488.

EDA-TSING. 1522-1567. | LUNG-KING. 1567-1573. | WAN-LEIH. 1573-1620.

DATE MARKS 315

wk Be | EX
ei | # is be pes
#2 8 ad He Ais

‘SHUN-CHE. 1644-1661. | KANG-HE. 1661-1722. |

{vung- CHING. 1723-1736.

Fig. 16, | FG. 17. Fig. 18.

3 |
; iF e |
«BR ia OBS

KEEN-LUNG. 1736+1795.| KEA-KING. 1796-1821.

TAOU-KWANG. 1821-1851.

HEEN-FUNG. 1851-1862.| TUNG-CHE. 1862-1875. | KWANG*SHIU. 1875.

Fic. 22. Fic. ui

KING-TE. 1004-1007. YUNG-LO. 1403-1425.

316 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Fic. 24,

SEUEN-TIH. 1426-1436.

KEEN-LUNG. 1736-1795.

KEA-KING. 1796-1821.

Fic. 30.

IER
sels

HEEN-FUNG, 1851-1862.

‘Fre. 25.

ell
cfd)

YUNG-CUING. 1723-1736.

Fic. 27.

KEEN-LUNG. 1736-1795.

Fie. 29.

TAOU-KWANG. 1821-1851.

- ‘
TUNG-CHE. 1862-1875.

|
|
|

DATE MARKS 317
MARKS.

Mirna Date Marks.

4 Hwa. k k Great. 1
& Perlod. 3 WF CMing. «2
6 Made. Bg 59 Ching. 3

sae =e
7 » 4
K ve As
Hung-woo, 1868-1899, Yung-lo, 1408-1425. Seuen-tih, 1426-1436.
3S

OX Rp. na
; 2 ,

RX 2 42.

Ching-hwa, 1465-1488, Hung-che, 1488-1506. Ching-tib, 1506-1522.

x €& &

‘HR Be. ey

Kea-tsing, 1522-1567. Lung-king, 1567-1573. Wan-leih, 1578 1620

318 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Tsing Dats MaRKs.

4 Chin. i zk Great. 4
5 Period, im if Tsing. 2

6 Made. Jp ¥ Yung. 8

Shun-che, 1644-1661, Kang-he, 1661-1722, Yung-ching, 1723-1736,

x ff
a hb %

Keen-lung, 1736-1795. Kea-king, 1796-1821. Taou-kwang, 1821-185).

a 18] & Es

a 16 ca

Heen-fung, 1851-186}, Tung-che, 1862-1875 Kwang-shiu, 1875.

——— i

DATE MARKS 319

Taou.. 3
id
5 Period, Nien. ie Ta, Great. 1
J
6 Made, Chi. Ra 2s Tsing, Tsing. 2
rn SID
Kwang. @

lf FRB
fe ous Ee

Shun-che, 1644-1662, Kang-he, 1661-1722, Yung-ching, 1723-1786.

Koon-lung, 1786-1795, Kea-king, 1796-1821, Taou-kwang, 1821-1851.

Se Ff
= fs

Heen-fung, 1851-1862, Tung-che, 1862-1875, Kwang-ebiu, 1875

320 CHATS

“Made at the
Tseu-shun Hall,”

of beautiful jade.

“Made at the
Shun-tih, or
cultivation Hall.”

“Made at the
Ta-shu, or
great tree Hall.”

“Tmitations of
antiques made at
the King-lien Hall.”

ON ORIENTAL CHINA

“ Antique made at
the Shun-tih, or

cultivation of

“The Luh-i
or waving

bamboo Hall. vertine Balt,”

“ Made at the
Tsai-jun or brilliant

“ Made at the
I-yew, or

colours Hall.” advantage Hall.”

“ Made at the
Ki-yuh, or

‘“‘ Made at the
Lin-yuh, or
abundant jade Hall.”

rare jade Hall.”

“A gem among “ A gem among

precious vessels, precious vessels,

of rare jade.” of rare stone.”

321

ETC.

TANG, OR HALL MARKS,

PAS PEEPLES
ee ae: sag Ss eeen :
©

pega

ey
ie

Dati
rs

Slate tn rh em chanlroa ete i. pacraicieeeetsen tren etn rrtgnn etnies si iain ga, hehe canna aay Gas

ara ane

shes

rors

x
tage

a Ke | % Pf
Menara ietl Bah rsrdh yet finely met
erry oc ilh by e beat Sti

\ tate ; i

He Ape Pha Ane haeranaae ak refi aclu 12 Eh pac hay Vinyl thane 2 oy e a) . SC) ai ane ai rot

XXIV

SYMBOLICAL
MARKS

AND
ORNAMENTS

ess —

CHAPTER XXIV
SYMBOLICAL MARKS AND ORNAMENTS

“EVERY picture tells its story” is true when applied
to Oriental decoration where history and mythology
furnish many of the designs, and almost every flower
and colour has its own meaning. On the porcelain
many of these devices are used either as marks or
ornaments; sometimes they have ribbons or fillets
entwined around them, and they vary considerably in
style and shape. Those given are from Sir A. W.
Franks’s book, “ The Catalogue of the Franks’ Collec-
tion of Oriental Porcelain and Pottery,” exhibited at
the Bethnal Green Museum.

The symbols set out are found on blue and
white porcelain as well as on pieces of “famille
verte,’ powdered blue, and old specimens decorated
with coloured enamels generally of a very good
quality.

No. 1. The pearl, which as an ornament is fre-
quently represented in the air with dragons.
No. 2. The conch shell, a well-known Buddhist
emblem which signifies a prosperous journey.
No. 3. A musical instrument. According to Mr.
17 325

326 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Gulland, who searched Mr. Salting’s Collection at
the Museum, South Kensington, 18 pieces, mostly
blue and white, have this mark.

Nos. 4, 5, 6. Three of the varieties of a lozenge
shape ; sometimes it has the swastika in the
centre,

Nos. 7, 8, 9. Various fish symbols. Sometimes a
pair of fishes is found in a vase form, but this
Buddhist symbol is an emblem of domestic hap-
piness.

No. 10. A group comprising a pencil, cake of
ink, and sceptre of longevity, the whole expressing
the wish, “ May things be fixed as you wish.”

No. 11. The hare, an emblem of longevity. The
hare is connected by legend with the moon, and
the mark is found on pieces coloured black and
yellow, and on blue and white of good quality.

No. 12. A pair of rhinoceros horns used as a
mark and in other forms as a symbol. Mr. Gul-
land’s examination gave a rather striking result.
About 960 pieces are in the Salting Collection,
perhaps the finest of its kind in the world. Of
these 130 pieces had date marks, 52 being on
coloured pieces and 78 on blue and white. The
other marks, mostly symbol marks, were found on
169 pieces, of which 77 were coloured and 92 blue
and white. This gives a total of 299 marked
pieces.

Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16. Varieties of leaves. Some-
times the leaves are filleted. In the Salting Collec-
tion 45 pieces had the leaf mark, which is chiefly
found on blue and white.

Nos. 17, 18. The lotus flower, without fillets, the
specimens in the same collection were coloured.

Nos. 19, 20, 21, 22. Varieties of the Che plant
mostly found on blue and white, a kind of fungus

SYMBOLIOAL MARKS 327

used as an emblem of longevity and occasionally
found in vase form, of natural shape, in self-colour,
such as “sang-de-beuf.”

No. 23. The peach and conventional bat. The
peach signifies longevity, and the bat happiness.
The two together embody the wish for “A two-
fold perpetuation of happiness and long life.”

No. 24. Four-leaved flower, on blue and white.

No. 25. Flower with eight or sixteen leaves.

No. 26. Five-leaved flower, on blue and white. A
six-leaved flower is also found on blue and white.

No. 27. Joo-e-head. There is no form so uni-
versal for decorative purposes as the Joo-e, here
given as a mark on blue and white. Panels and
borders have modifications of this form in endless
variety. The fungus as emblem of longevity was
adopted in this form as the head of the sceptre of
longevity, and the Joo-e has remained a classical
pattern.

No. 28. Five circles with fillets, found on old
coloured specimens.

No. 29. A knot (chang) said to signify longevity,
found on blue and white.

No. 30. An insect, found on blue and white.

No. 31. Stork or heron without a tail. Note the
Dresden engraved number below.

Nos. 32, 33, 34, 35. Varieties of incense burners
(téngs), found on blue and white. Several other
marks are to be found, notably on porcelain of
good quality.

THE ORDINARY SYMBOLS.

These symbols are sometimes, as we have seen,
used as marks, But they are also used in decora-

328 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

tion, being coloured in enamel colours and often
placed in shaped reserves. The number eight:
seems to have an attraction for the Chinese. Here
we have what are termed “the eight precious
things,’ and, later, the Buddhist emblems, “the
eight lucky emblems,” are given. It is not
necessary to do more than name these ordinary
symbols :—

No. 1. A pearl.

No. 2. A coin, symbol of riches, often forms a
border to plates and dishes.

No. 3. Lozenge with open frame. Two lozenges
with overlapping ends are used to express the dual
symbol.

No. 4. A mirror.

No. 5. A sounding-plate used as a bell.

No. 6, Books placed close together, probably
another dual symbol.

No. 7. Rhinoceros horns—conventional form.

No. 8 A leaf.

Some or all of these objects may frequently be
seen carried in processions or on pictures of such
processions.

THE BUDDHIST SYMBOLS.

Here, again, we have some toring which have
been dealt with as marks,

No. 1. A bell. In place of this, the wheel of
the law is frequently used.

No. 2. The conch shell, the chank shell of the
Buddhists,

No. 3. A state umbrella.

No. 4. A canopy.

No. 5. The lotus flower again.

SYMBOLICAL MARKS 329

No. 6. A vase with cover.

No. 7. Two fishes. Connubial felicity.

No. 8. A knot said to represent the intestines
and to be an emblem of longevity.

OTHER SYMBOLS, —

A silver ingot, a cake of ink or a branch of coral
may be found as emblems of riches, scholarship, or
power, but there remain three devices which deserve
a few words. The first is the Pa-kwa, consisting
of eight diagrams of entire and broken lines. The
entire lines represent the male, strong or celestial
element in nature; and the broken ones the female
weak, terrestrial element. An entire system of
Chinese philosophy is built upon this combina-
tion, and not only so, but they furnish a “clue to
the secrets of nature and of being.” The trigrams
are often represented upon specimens of porcelain,
especially on raised decorations, with or without |
a central circular device, the Yang and the Yin,
another representation of the male and female
elements in nature. The second device is the bat.
The word in Chinese has exactly the same sound
as the word meaning “happiness,” so that the bat
has come to be regarded as a symbol of happiness.
The figure of a bat is sometimes used alone ;
chiefly, however, we find four or five bats surround-
ing the seal character for longevity. This is the
third of the devices. The character for longevity
(show in Chinese) is regarded as very auspicious,
and it is written in no less than a hundred
different ways. -When used with the five bats sur-
rounding it, the five great blessings are symbolised
—longevity, riches, peacefulness, love of virtue, and
a happy death.

SYMBOLICAL MARKS AND ORNAMENTS 331

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

332

_ SYMBOLICAL MARKS AND ORNAMENTS 333

334

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

I 2

335

SYMBOLICAL MARKS
i

XAXV

THE
IMMORTALS,
OR CHENS

: aaa
aay 2s Sek

CHAPTER XXV
THE IMMORTALS, OR CHENS

THE Pa Szen, or eight Immortals, were followers of
the Taoist religion founded by Lao Tsze, who lived
about the time of Confucius. They seemed to be
noted for a combination of pure Taoism, which
taught contempt for riches and worldly power,
and advocated complete subjugation of all bodily
passions, and such practice of magic and alchemy
as gave them the power they affected to despise.
These eight lived at various times and attained
immortality through the mysterious elixir of im-
mortality.

1, Han Chung-le, who lived in the Chow dynasty
(B.C. 1122-249), is represented as a fat man, either
with bare stomach or fully clothed. His emblem
is a fan with which he revives the spirits of the
dead.

2: Leu Tung-pin (about A.D. 755). He learnt
the mysteries from Han Chung-le whilst wander-
ing in the mountain gorges. Tempted ten times,
he overcame the temptations, and with a sword,
which is his emblem, he slew evil monsters and
rid the earth of them for more than four hundred
years,

3. Le Tee-kwae (period unknown) was a scholar
339

340 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

of Han Chung-le in the celestial regions which he
visited in spirit, leaving his body under charge of
a disciple on the earth below. On returning from
one visit, he found his body was gone, and the
only way in which he could continue his existence
was by taking refuge in the body of a lame beggar,
whose crutch and gourd are his symbols.

4. Tsaou Kwo-kiu (c7vca A.D. 999) is generally

represented with a court head-dress, being con-
nected by birth with the Emperor. His symbol is
a pair of flappers or castanets, which he carries in
one hand.

vs, Lan Tsae-ho is rather a myth of myths, for
neither the sex nor period is given. The figure is
represented bearing a flower-basket or wine-pot,
either of which is the emblem.

THE IMMORTALS, OR CHENS 341

6. Chang Ko-laou (close of seventh to middle of
eighth centuries) was a great magician, whose white
mule carried him immense distances, and when not
in use was folded up and put away. His symbol
is a bamboo tube drum, carried on either arm,
with two rods, the ends of which are usually
projecting from the upper opening of the drum in
which they are placed.

7. Han Seang-tsze (about the same period as the
last) was a pupil of Leu Tung-pin. His symbol
is a flute carried in either hand, usually end up-
wards. The story says that his master carried
him to the famous peach-tree of the genii from
which he fell.

8. Ho Seen-koo (A.D. 690-705) was an example
of filial piety. The legend tells how vast were

the distances she travelled to get dainty bamboo
18

342 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

shoots for her sick mother, how she conquered the
desire for mortal food, sustaining herself with the
powder of mother-of-pearl, and how finally she dis-
appeared with the promise of coming back again.
This she did, on occasion when a good genius was
necessary, appearing in the clouds and bringing
blessings. Hers is the flower symbol—the lotus.

Here, before me, are two vases on each of which
is depicted a feast of the immortals in the celestial
regions. Under the spreading pine-tree, emblem
of longevity, sits Han Chung-le, listening to the
music of the flute. Around him are the others
with wine-cups set on a rock table. Lan Tsae-ho
is bearing the wine-pot, whilst in the clouds, over

:
|
|

THE IMMORTALS, OR CHENS 343

the pine-tree, the gracious Ho Seen-koo gazes
down upon the scene. Not only in decoration,
on vases, and other pieces, are these gods depicted
either singly, in pairs, or all in one group, but
also in single figures and as a group of figures.
Sometimes eight, and sometimes nine are found
in one group, the ninth being Lao Tsze himself,

the founder of Taoism. Many of these figures,
as in the illustrations, are very beautiful in colour,
and so entirely quaint and curious in modelling,
often with faces and hands, in white biscuit, and
so rare. Old Ming figures, early Celadon figures,
later enamelled figures, in sets of eight, standing
or sitting, are often worth a knight’s ransom.

eed ie
ves i FHitte
i)

XXVI

THE
DRESDEN
COLLECTION

CHAPTER XXVI
THE DRESDEN COLLECTION

THE Dresden Collection of porcelain is probably the
most ancient in Europe as far as the Oriental portion
is concerned. According to its learned Director, Dr.
Theodore Graesse, it was chiefly brought together by
Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of
Saxony, between the years 1694-1705. These speci-
mens were afterwards made use of to decorate the
Dutch, or, as it was subsequently called, the Japanese,
Palace. After being for many years stored away in
the vaults of the Palace, they have now been set out
in the Johanneum Palace, where they are well seen.

In order, it is said, to prevent the courtiers from
making away with the royal property, every specimen
in the old collection was marked with numbers,
accompanied by various signs, engraved through
the glaze on the lathe, and therefore indelible. To
avoid high numbers and to facilitate classification,
a particular sign was used for each kind of porcelain.
These marks must have been put on at an early date,
as they are only to be found on the more ancient
specimens of Meissen porcelain in the collection at
Dresden.

The classes and marks were as follows :—

Japanese porcelain, distinguished by the addition

of a cross to the number.
847

348 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

“Green Chinese porcelain” (that is, principally
painted in green enamel), marked by an I.

White Chinese porcelain, marked with a triangle.

“Red Chinese porcelain” (that is, principally de-
corated in red), marked with an arrow.

Blue and white “ Indian porcelain ” (chiefly Chinese
blue and white), including crackle, marked with a
zig-zag line. See symbolical mark 31.

“Old Indian porcelain,” marked with a parallelo-
gram.

“Indian and Saxon black porcelain,’ marked
with a P.

The cross mark is of value as showing the opinion
entertained in Europe at so early a time as to what
was Japanese, but must of course be accepted with
some reserve. It may be added that,nearly all the
Japanese specimens are what we know as “Old
Japan,” made in Imari for exportation, The triangle
is useful to help us in distinguishing white Oriental
from early Dresden, Fulham, or Plymouth porcelain,
which were close copies of the first. The most
curious specimens are those marked with a parallelo-
gram, and are called O/d Indian. Many of these
appear to be Oriental porcelain, originally white,
and decorated in Europe, probably in Holland. The
same style of painting is to be found on five vases
bearing the arms and initials of Augustus the
Strong, said to have been ordered for the King by
the Dutch in 1703, but probably executed in Holland.
These vases seem to be Chinese porcelain with orna-
ments in very low relief, over which the arms have
been painted, together with a decoration in the
Japanese style.

XXVII

SECTION JI

JAPANESE
PORCELAIN
AND
POTTERY

SECTION II
CHAPTER XXVII

A SHORT SKETCH AND MARKS OF JAPANESE
PORCELAIN AND POTTERY

ALTHOUGH we do not possess any complete docu-
mentary evidence on Ceramics in Japan, and although
much of what we do know has been obtained by
Englishmen in that country, there is no doubt that
this art had its origin in remote antiquity, and that

the Japanese seem always to have possessed in a

high degree a very vivid sentiment of decoration,
happily combined with an extraordinary facility of
execution.

The making of porcelain only dates from the begin-
ning of the sixteenth century, when Shonsui, return-
ing from China, where he had learned the secrets of
the trade, constructed several furnaces in localities
where he found the necessary materials. He settled
at Arita, in Hizen, the nearest port to which is Imari,
a name familiar to all collectors as a common name
for all Japanese porcelain. But this old Imari is
always white with designs painted in blue under the
glaze.

A hundred years after an Imari potter learnt, under
the direction of a Chinese established at Nagasaki,
the art of painting and decorating in various

colours the porcelain which he sold to Chinese
351

352 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

merchants. They in their turn exported it to
Europe through the East India Company, so that
considerable quantities arrived in England, where it
is found to-day in a large number of families which
have preserved the tastes of their forefathers. Arita
or Imari were names indifferently applied to this
porcelain.

Amongst the other numerous works where pottery
and porcelain were made the following list comprises
the chief: Awata, Banko or Imbe, Kaga or Kutani,
with beautiful red and gold decoration; Kioto, Kishu,
Nabeshima, Satsuma, Soma, Sanda, Séto (in the pro-
vince of Owari, to-day one of the largest centres of
production), and Tokio.

Japanese porcelain is distinguished from Chinese
by acloser imitation from nature in the flowers and
birds, and, above all, by much more correct design,
more chaste and elegant in the representation of the
human figure. The marks are often impressed or
stamped in a circle, oblong or oval, and frequently,
too, Chinese marks are imitated.

It will be useful to indicate some characteristics
of the chief of the factories mentioned above.

IMARI, ARITA, OR HIZEN PORCELAIN.

The oldest Imari has been referred to before. The
period of the seventeenth century is noted for decora-
tion with enamels over the glaze. The paste or body
was fine and pure, the glaze milk-white, soft, yet not
wanting in brilliancy, forming a ground harmonising
with the severely simple decoration. The enamel
colours were few, but clear and rich in tone, chiefly a
dull red, a grass-green, and a lilac-blue. The decora-
tive subjects were, most commonly, floral medallions ;
but the dragon, Phcenix, bamboo plum (prunus flower),

—_

JAPANESE MARKS 353

birds fluttering over a sheaf of corn, and various
diaper patterns were constantly used. The designs,
sparsely scattered over the surface, give each as wide
a margin as possible. The Imari ware, “old Japan
ware” exported in the eighteenth and nineteenth cen-
turies, was a distinct type, made to please European
taste. The decoration is usually violet, red, and gold
added to a plain white glaze or to the blue and
white.

HIRADO BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN.

This is said to mark the highest degree of perfec-
tion and beauty ever attained. The paste is fine,
pure, and white, free from the dark gritty particles
found nearly always in Imari ware. The blue—the
only colour employed, with rare exceptions—is ex-
quisitely soft and clear and seems to float in the milk-
white, velvet-like glaze. The designs are of many
subjects, etched with wonderful skill. Only within
the last few years in Europe did the passion for blue
and white induce Japanese owners to sell, and the
supply was soon exhausted. It is well to note that
modern imitations are not pure white, but greenish,
and they are less perfectly potted. It was from
Hirado porcelain that Bow and Plymouth modelled
their pieces with raised shells and seaweed, and
Dresden, too, copied the figures, birds, and flowers
in relief Hirado was a private kiln where the
workmen were forbidden to sell without per-
mission.

NABESHIMA WARE.

The feudal chief of Hizen at his private kilns pro-
duced blue and white porcelain of fine paste and
colour, and generally with a characteristic combina-

354

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA
tion of red. The potters did not, as a rule, use

marks, but they copied Chinese marks on pieces
which were reproductions of Chinese patterns.

Vl
Lz (ee S
POY Ae,
te?
= Yi fame
SNS WwWiwKC}HYijiLE-
ARK QS SS
NS S
Ss SE = ete
S <> =
~ > 7
£

Fig. 2,—HO-HO BIRD.

Hirado, Nabeshima had no occasion to mark as
though the porcelain was intended for sale.

The designs and symbolical marks copied from
China have the same meaning to the Japanese.

JAPANESE MARKS 395

The dragon is often found as a design, in various
colours and in gold. The place of dragons in Bud-
dhism explains their frequent appearance—indeed,
they are “the masters of the world.” If they are

Fig. 4.—THE KYLIN.

offended they punish men with plague, pestilence,
and famine. Hence they must be propitiated.

Fig. 1 shows the five claws of the best kind of
dragon-decorated Oriental, said to be made for
Imperial use.

Fig. 2 is the Fong-Hoang, sometimes called the

356 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Ho-Ho bird. This was the symbol of the sovereigns
of China before the five-clawed dragon. Drawings
of this bird vary very much; when represented in the
air the feet are thrown back.

Fig. 3 is the dog of Fé, or Buddha, often called the
Korean lion, still more often, and wrongly, the kylin.
The one is the lion transformed, and

Fig. 4, the kylin, is more like the unicorn. Its head
resembles that of a dragon. Often its body is
covered with scales, and its hoofs are cloven.

XXVIII

SATSUMA
POTTERY, &c.

CHAPTER XXVIII
SATSUMA POTTERY

WHILST in porcel2in Japan copied Chinese patterns,
in pottery native talent had full scope for its original
and personai character, so ably shown both in shape
and decoration. Amongst all the pottery Satsuma
takes the first place; indeed, no collection is com-
plete unless it has a specimen, although fine pieces
are very rare. Much of what is called old Satsuma
has been produced at Kyoto and Yokohama for
export, and has very little in common with the ware
so highly prized by collectors in Japan. Showy,
brilliant, and decorative reproductions are met with
frequently, but neither in paste or painting are they
comparable. Real old Satsuma, at first sight, looks
like ivory, and the designs display infinite care, the
colours being low in tone, whilst the gold is pen-
cilled with such a multitude of minute lines as to
be truly wonderful.

The glazes are often enamelled ; yellow and black,
both remarkable, but exceedingly rare, are mono-
chromes; so, too, is olive-green, which is seldom
used alone, but in conjunction with a dark yellow
or dark brown. Various articles, such as tea jars,
teapots, and incense boxes, have usually these glazes.

Another glaze, called “ Flambées,” or “ Flammées,”
359

360 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

is like shot-silk, ¢,g., red jasper and violet, and violet
and blue. The colouration, no doubt at first acci-
dental, was later obtained by the combination of
metals with the oxygen in the air and during the
firing, so that the results were defined and certain.

The old potters confined their decorations to
diapers, floral subjects, landscapes, and the Chinese
subjects—the Ho-Ho birds, the mythical lion, the
dragon, and the kylin.

Two kinds of pottery were made at Satsuma, and
the self-glazes, either monochrome or flambée, are,
for the most part, applied to the red, and not to the
white kind. In other words, the paste or body of
the piece is red, and by comparing a few specimens
the difference between that and the white can soon
be determined.

When the potter cuts the turned piece from the
clay on the wheel he uses a string ; and in Satsuma
ware the string-mark can be detected on the bottom
of the piece. Again, the Satsuma potter turned the
throwing-wheel with the left foot, but other potters
used the right ; hence the spiral in the paste is from
left to right in Satsuma, from right to left in other
factories. Pure white faience, cleverly moulded
and reticulated, was a celebrated and favourite pro-
duct of the ancient potters.

Spurious Satsuma is one of the most common and
disfiguring features of both public and private collec-
tions.

KYyoToO POTTERY.

Much of the later pottery from Kyoto was made
in imitation of Satsuma. At the Paris Exhibition
of 1878, such imitations of pieces decorated in relief
had a great success. But Kyoto has one name

SATSUMA POTTERY 361

which stamps the seventeenth century productions
as marking the adoption of the representative Japan
style. There was Ninsei, who shook himself free
from the influence of China and Korea, and, having
acquired the secrets of decoration with enamels, he
set to work to practice and impart them in the
various factories at Kyoto where he worked.

He introduced a crackle, which of itself is a test
between old and modern ware. The glaze was of a
light buff or cream colour, and the crackle was nearly
circular and very fine, and is best described as “ fish-
roe crackle.” The paste of his pieces varied from
hard, close brick-red clay to a fine-textured yellowish
grey. The coloured glazes—blue, green, red, black,
and gold—were also introduced by him to the Kyoto
kilns. The black glaze was run over a grass-green
one, so as to give brilliancy of effect, whilst panels
of cream crackle on the surface were painted in
diaper patterns or with floral designs in gold, silver,
or coloured enamels. Another glaze, since imitated
successfully, was a pearl white with a kind of pink
blush spreading through it.

As a rule Ninsei marked his pieces; the mark is
given. Two or three hundred dollars are readily
paid in Japan for a small bowl of the best type, so
genuine specimens are exceedingly rare in Europe.
It is well to reiterate two tests which may be easily
applied to Ninsei pieces—the paste is hard and
brick-red or yellowish grey in colour, and the
crackles are equal and circular in shape.

AWATA WARE.

Here, too, Satsuma ware has in recent years been
largely imitated. At the Amsterdam Exhibition a
fine collection_was on view. But Awata had kilns

362 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

as early as the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
tury, and a clever workman, Kinkdézan, about a
century later, did much to bring back the reputa-
tion lost after Ninsei’s influence had passed away.
The glaze under his treatment was creamy and lus-
trous. The enamels, which harmonised so well with
the glaze, were grass-green, ultramarine, and red.
Gold was almost invariably used in decoration.
Silver, purple, and yellow are most uncommon.

It must be borne in mind that the majority of the
Awata pieces were unmarked.

Generally, three rules are equally valuable in judg-
ing the age of all Kyoto wares, including Awata
and other places close by. First, the paste of the
old pieces is close-grained and hard; second, the
glaze has a lustre, which may be due to atmospheric
influence long continued ; third, the enamel colours
are carefully painted, and are very bright and clear.

Marks :—

(1) The chrysanthemum, arms or crest of the
Mikado.
(2) The kiri, said to be stamped on articles for
royal use exclusively.
(3) (4) (5) Satsuma marks,
(6) The marshmallow, crest of Tokougava Sat-
suma ware.
(7) Ninsei’s name; stamped with sunk letters,
Kyoto.
(8) Shimizu, a maker’s name, in a long oval.
Kyoto.
(9) Taizan, a potter of Kyoto.
(10) (11) Used at Kyoto by Yeiraku.
(12) Awata ware, also used in a small size.
(13) Awata, mark of another factory.
(14) On pottery made in imitation of Sat-
suma.

——_——..

—

JAPANESE MARKS

363

364 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

(15) Awata. Kinkdézan’s mark stamped.

(16) Seal character, ‘‘ Prosperity.”

(17) Seal character, “ Gold.”

(18) Seal character, “ Felicity.”

(19) Shigen, a maker’s name, probably Kyoto.

(20) Seal character, “ Happiness.”

(21) Seal character, “ Precious.”

(22) Inscribed mark, “An eternal spring of
riches and honours.”

(A) Crest of Shimadzou, Prince of Satsuma.

(B) Crest of Ikeda, Prince of Bizen.

Other blasons of Japanese princes.

The sale prices of “ Old Japanese ” will, for a little,
vary the subject under consideration. The demand
is great, the supply limited; so prices will rise
higher yet.

Old Imari dish, painted with vase of flowers,
having shaped panels on dark blue and gold ground,
4&7 7S.

Set of three octagonal vases—old Imari—similar
decoration, with festoons and tassels on the shoul-
ders, £36 $s. %

A pair octagonal vases—old Imari—similar deco-
ration, £65 2s.

Another dish, old Imari, vase of flowers in centre,
Ho-Ho birds round the border, with flowers. Colours:
red, blue, and gold. 412 12s,

From the Hayashi Collection.—Hirado cat, life-
size, couching. 420 8s.

(NOTE.—Hirado, Hirato, or Harito are used indif-
ferently.)

At the same sale-——Two Arita porcelain cups, £5 ;
two scent or incense burners, £4 4s.

Other sales——Bowl, in Ninsei pottery, £26 ; scent
burner, Satsuma, 428 16s.; vase, Bizen ware, £26;
blue, red, and gold ground, probably Imari, £10;

BLASONS OF JAPANESE PRINCES — 365

MALDA, MOORI,
PRINCE OF KAGA. PRINCE OF NAGATO,

366 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

another vase, decorated with Ho-Ho birds, same
colours as the last, Hétel Drouot, Paris, 4100;
bottles, pair of old Imari, fluted and painted in red,
blue, and gold, 427 6s.; vases and covers, pair, old
Hizen, decorated with birds, flowers, wheels, and
scrolls in rich colours and gold, 435 14s.

It must be remembered that the finest Japanese,
copied from Chinese models, is sold frequently as
Chinese.

XXIX

BIZEN
OR IMBE, &c.

CHAPTER XXIX

BIZEN OR IMBE

THE chief objects made at Bizen were vases,
incense-burners, and numerous figures of animals and
persons. Amongst the last are found a number of
mythical divinities illustrating the two religions of
Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism, especially the
latter. Before me, as I write, is a good specimen of
old Bizen. It is the figure of Hotei, the god of Con-
tentment. Brown glazed ware with a paste of fine,
hard red clay. He is standing on a wind-bag with
his dress open to his waist, and his laugh is typical of
the wonderful facial expression often to be found in
Oriental figures. The pottery of Bizen was made at
a very early date, but the early specimens were of a
coarse, gritty red paste with no glaze, and only com-
mon articles were made. Then, in the sixteenth
century, more attention was paid to the preparation
of the clay, and Chinese copies were imitated. The
most valued pieces of this old Bizen are those
stamped with a new moon or a cherry blossom. A
century later a white-brown paste, fine and nearly as
hard as porcelain, was used largely for figures. This
was followed by the use of the red clay. It is inte-
resting to notice the glaze applied to this kind of

Bizen. The figure of Hotei illustrates this unique
369

370 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

bronzing, as it were. The colour and metallic lustre

are so good that the figure has often been mistaken -
for bronze. Choice specimens are to be found with
salt glazes, brown, grey, and white, and of these
the last is rarest. One other peculiarity of all Bizen

is that the glaze is absorbed into the paste; this

is said to be due to continued firing. When struck

the pieces ring very clearly, whilst the modern pro-

duction has a dead, dull sound. The Bizen pottery
of our own time is degenerate. The monstrosities

to be found in curiosity shops are neither artistic

nor interesting.

KUTANI PORCELAIN AND POTTERY.

Kutani, in the province of Kaga, produced pottery
of dark clay with a light chocolate glaze about the
middle of the seventeenth century. Later, one of
the potters, who was sent to Hizen for the purpose,
brought back information which led to great im-
provement. At the end of that century, and early in
the next, two wares were produced. One is marked
by a deep green glaze, which formed an effective and
striking decoration, but other glazes were also used
on these other wares, notably deep purple, yellow,
and a soft blue. The other class was an imitation of
Hizen ware, with the difference that blue under
the glaze was not associated with enamel colours
over the glaze. In addition to the colours mentioned
a beautiful red was introduced and gold was added.

The artistic designs were purely Japanese bits of
nature-painting, tiny landscapes, birds on plum
branches, and other simple but striking subjects
of this kind. The contrast to the Imari ware, with
its bold masses of blossoms and colours, is as great
as it is with modern Kutani. The latter often has

KUTANI PORCELAIN 371

peacocks, groups of brilliant peonies and chrysan-
themums, brightly dressed women and wonderful old
men, cocks upon barrels, and other well-known
subjects. The only figures on old Kutani are
children playing.

The paste is of a bad colour, a kind of dirty white.
It passes from stoneware to porcelain, according
to the nature of the clay, much of which was
imported, and which was sometimes mixed with the
clay found at Kutani. The other makers of porce-
lain frequently sent their pieces in a white state to be
decorated here, and this was done especially from
Arita, From this it will be seen that the Kutani
mark appears on porcelain varying in composition.
Thus there are stoneware and excellent porcelain.
Some of it will bear comparison with the best Hizen
egg-shell. What tests should be applied to find out
whether the specimen submitted is old Kutani or not ?
One has been given—it is this: blue under the glaze
is not employed in conjunction with enamel decora-
tion. Then there is the tone of the blue. Reference
has been made to the rich blue of Imari, the
exquisite soft and clear blue of Hirado, but the
Kutani blue is, like the paste often is, inferior in
quality. The glaze, however, has a wax-like surface
which is distinctive. In the coloured specimens the
severe nature of the decoration and the beauty and
lustre of the enamels are characteristic features,

But Kutani copied Chinese originals in the best
style, so that if such specimens were bought in China
they would pass for good examples of the best
period. But in Japan, as in China, porcelain is made
of two earths, one fusible, the other infusible, and
owing to the difference in the matter of firing, most
Japanese porcelain has spur-marks or small pro-
jections on-the bottom, produced by the supports

372 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

used in the process of firing. Otherwise, the same
means are employed in making and_ decorating
porcelain in both countries.

KENZAN WARE.

Ninsei and Kinkozan have been mentioned as
celebrated potters, Kenzan and Yeiraku must be
added to them. Kenzan at first imitated the Ninsei
ware of Kyoto, but, being himself an artist and a
brother of the celebrated painter Ogato Korin, he
soon developed an original and genuine Japanese
style in which striking results were produced with a
seeming absence of laboured detail. The simplicity
of a branch of prunus blossoms, a few nodding reeds
or grasses, a little group of birds amidst the foliage,
the distant hill seen through the midst, suited the
space available for decoration. He used black,
brown, green, blue, and purple in plain colours,
and enamels as well as gold. His early work was
done on Awata pottery, but his style is unmistak-
able, and he marked all his pieces with his name
“ Kenzan.” Other specimens of his bold outline
sketches are found on a coarse ware with a gritty
paste. Ata later period he went to Iriya, in Tokio,
but owing to unsatisfactory materials for the making
of pottery nothing very great was accomplished. His
productions are exceedingly rare and proportionately
valuable. His family still have a kiln near Kyoto,
and his son and grandson imitated his style, includ-
ing the mark, with some success.

YEIRAKU WARE.
There is an ancient pottery at Kyoto, founded by
a family named Sozen and later Yeiraku, a title
bestowed upon them by the Prince of Kii or Kishu.

YEIRAKU WARE 373

The present potter is of the same name and he
still makes earthenware and porcelain. It was about
1600 when Yeiraku—then Zengoro-Hozen—began to
make unglazed tea urns as his ancestors had done.
As a recreation he tried experiments with pastes and
glazes, which attracted considerable attention, and
secured for him an invitation from the Prince of
Kishu to come to his province. Here Yeiraku ware
was made, so called from the stamp it bears.
Zengoro made glazes his special study, and _ pro-
duced rich combinations of turquoise, blue, purple,
and yellow, but more than these was his successful
coral-red glaze, made in imitation of the old Chinese
“vivid red” of the Yung-lo period. This last
achievement gained for him the gift of a golden
stamp, “ Yeiraku,” and the name which the family
has borne for so many years. Yeiraku’s skill was
often tested by orders to copy all sorts of Chinese,
Korean, and even Dutch pieces, which he did so well
that the original and its imitation could not be
distinguished. Yeiraku was wealthy now, and could
have gone into easy retirement. Yet such was his love
of his art that he worked on. He had produced the
purple, yellow, turquoise, green, and the blue and
white, also the coral red and enamelled porcelains of
China, but he tried fruitlessly to get the tin glaze of.
Delft and the various glazes of lakes of the Chinese.
The illustrations given of the goddess Kuwanon, in
Chinese Kouanyin or Kwan Yin, show one of the most
interesting of the Buddhist deities. She was reincar-
nated at least thirty-three times, as a man, a woman, a
demon, and so on, for the greatest good of humanity.
Still, it is in the feminine form that her figure is most
frequently found in Japanese porcelain and pottery,
as well as in Chinese. Her hair is in the style of
Louis XIV., she wears a necklace bearing an
20

374 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

ornament in the form of a cross, and, being “the
giver of children,” she is holding a little child, whilst
Loung-nou and Hoang-tchen-sai, her two servants,
stand at her right and left. Perhaps the rarest of
these figures is in the cream-white porcelain of
Nankin. A figure of this goddess was recently sold
for 445.

ag ane

XXX

KISHU
PORCELAIN
AND
POTTERY, &c.

CHAPTER XXX
KISHU PORCELAIN AND POTTERY, ETC,

BOTH porcelain and pottery were made at Waka-
yama, and are known as Kishu ware. The orna-
mentation consisted of formal patterns in low relief,
the intervening spaces being filled with coloured
glazes, chiefly blue, deep purple, and yellow, though
green and white were not unfrequently used. Perhaps
the most common was a ground of purple, with the
scroll-work in relief and some parts of it covered
with torquoise-blue. Some very fine pieces had a
rich green glaze marbled with purple with medallions
in other colours. These glazes are amongst the finest
produced in Japan.

The paste varied from porcelain to stoneware, and,
like many factories, was sometimes white, sometimes
ared grey. It was fine in texture, and hard.

Yeiraku’s work was largely‘done in this private kiln,
and many of the pieces bear his stamp. It is said
that he made from five to ten specimens of any object
he undertook to produce, that the best was chosen
and the rest destroyed,

BANKO POTTERY.

As early as 1680 a factory was established at a

village near Tokio, and produced articles which
377

378 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

resembled some of the Kutani wares, but towards
the end of the eighteenth century a rich amateur,
Gozayemon, who had previously acquired a great
reputation as a copyist, was induced by the then
Shogun to leave Isé and to continue his work in
Tokio, where his productions became the fashion,
partly because of their merits, partly owing to the
difficulty experienced in securing them.

He now adopted the purely Japanese style, and
combined with it the beauty of the Chinese glazes
in different colours, and it was when he ceased to
be an imitator and became an originator that he
became an artist. He imitated every kind of ware,
from coarse Korean pottery and the brilliant colours
of China to the severe styles of Ninsei and Ken-
zam. His pieces were generally marked. He also
made many imitations of Dutch delft.

After his death, the son of a dealer of Isé, into
whose hands the formula of Gozayemoné had fallen,
assumed the name of Banko, after having bought
the stamp from his grandson. He made a peculiar
kind of stoneware, unglazed,in which the mould, made
up of several sections, was placed inside the clay to
be modelled. Hence, on the outside, the lines of the
skin of the hand are shown, and the designs are as
sharp, if not sharper, inside as outside the pottery,
which from this method of working had to be very
thin. He also decorated pieces with storks, dragons,
&c., in relief and other pieces, with clever designs in
coloured slips on a green or deep brown ground.
This Isé Banko ware is nearly always stamped.

SOMA WARE.

This is a most peculiar ware, which consisted chiefly ~
of small teacups or bowls, having a rough indented

KISHU PORCELAIN AND POTTERY 379

surface on the outside, but remarkably smooth to the
lips, with a horse in relief or painted, sometimes tied
to a stake. The name of the ware and the badge
were derived from the Prince of the territory. The
ceremony of tea-drinking amongst the Japanese was
almost a cult. The rites were followed under the
direction of a Tchadjin, or master of the ceremonies,
and, amongst other usages, the shape and decoration
of the cups varied with the season. Some were made
by hand instead of by the aid of a wheel, and most of
the factories tried to satisfy the native connoisseur.

SANDA WARE.

In 1690 a kiln was erected by the Prince of the
province of Setsu to imitate Chinese Celadon. At
first pottery was made, but towards the end of the
eighteenth century porcelain methods were brought
from Arita with such successful results that the
excellent sea-green Celadon of Sanda attained great
celebrity, in some degree owing to the considerable
quantity of it which was made. In colour Sanda
Celadon is bright green, less warm than that of China
and less delicate than the Nabeshima ware.

SHEBA WARE.

The eggshell porcelain of Japan is not ancient, but
near Tokio a factory produces saki cups which are
exceedingly pretty, being elegant in shape and deco-
ration and having a thin delicate paste. Sometimes
they are covered outside with basket-work, very finely
woven.

NOTES ON OTHER WARES.

At Seto, in Owari province, both porcelain and pot-
tery were made; the former was an importation from

380 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Arita, which has now become so important that por-
celain in Japan is known as Seto-mono or Seto ware.
Here, too, was made a kind of stoneware much
esteemed by the tea clubs.

At Inuyama, also in Owari, imitations of Chinese
porcelain were made, and called Agaye. Many kilns
are still at work here.

At Karatsu, in Hizen, was an ancient factory, now
closed, which had a great reputation for the manufac-
ture of the utensils required by the tea clubs.

At Nagano-mura, a pottery produced ware witha
streaky glaze, but not painted. Close by, Iga made a
singularly rough ware.

At Sobara-mura, Takatori ware, eet vases to
hold incense, of a rich brown glazed stoneware, was
manufactured. Many makers in various kilns made
the bowls for drinking tea, which was the finest green
tea, ground to powder, frothed up with a brush, and
passed in a bowl from hand to hand. Raku ware, so
called from the inscribed mark Raku (happiness),
consisted chiefly of tea-bowls.

Nothing need be said of the modern Japanese
potters. The greater part of the modern imports is
too bad for words, and none need be wasted on it. Yet,
amidst much that is thoroughly bad,there are still some
master potters in Kyoto, Tokio, Yokohama, Seyfou,
and elsewhere, whose work is well worth buying.

It will be well to remember that old Japanese has
two classes, one with a white, semi-transparent paste
with very simple designs—a plum-tree and two quails,
the tortoise with the hairy tail, the phoenix, a few
storks, or more rarely a Japanese lady in full dress.
The colours used were red, a pale but bright blue, an
apple-green, and an unusual lilac often with the
butterfly mark. Dresden, Chelsea, St. Cloud, and
other works imitated this class.

KISHU PORCELAIN AND POTTERY 381

The second class, also imitated in Europe, as at
Derby, for example, had the chrysanthemum and
peony decoration; the ornaments are in compart-
ments or panels, enclosing mythical animals. Speci-
mens before me are decorated with a deep blue and
gold. The other colours chiefly used are a deep red

and a bright black and green. The kiri or kiku
flower, with seventeen blossoms and three leaves, is
frequently used. It is the Imperial badge. The
covers of the vases and jars have figures in Japanese
dress or Korean lions on the top. Most of the
beautifully decorated specimens were made for ex-

382 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

port, the Japanese value the rough, artistic, but
characteristic work.

MARKS,

(1) Kutani, or Kaga, often with other marks,
This is the Prince’s mark.

(2-5) Kutani ware; red, blue, and gold.

(6-7) Kutani porcelain, usually very fine.

mK
Bo

ok Se.

(8) “Made at Kutani in Great Japan.”
(9) Ohi Ware Kaga.
(10) Ohi ware, Kaga.
(11) “Happiness,” Kaga. The open window
mark.
(12-13) Kenzan, inscribed marks.
(14) Kenzan, stamped, letters sunk.
(15) Kenzan painted in brown,
(16-18) Yeiraku. The Nagano-mura is an off-
shoot in Awaji, same mark,
(19) “ Made by Yieraku in Great Japan.”

KISHU PORCELAIN AND POTTERY = 383

(20-21) Kishu. Both marks stamped in the
| paste.

; (22) Banko. Twostamped marks, On thin tea-
pots, greyish brown ware.

(23) Banko. Two stamped marks.

(24) Nishina, a family name.

(25, 26, 27) Soma. Stamped in oblong or oval
panel, the oval being the older. On the
outside of some pieces with these marks
the crest of the Prince of Soma (4) is
found with a prancing horse tied between
two stakes.

384 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

MARKS IN THE FORM OF SYMBOLS.

This is a common form of marking Chinese por-
celain and Chinese symbolical ornaments, and were
often copied. The five examples given (B to F)
are frequently found on Japanese porcelain :

(B) A swastika, Buddhist symbol, also a family
crest.

(D and E) Two varieties of a plant.

(F) A leaf, in blue outlined in gold.

XXXI

SECTION L1I

SALE
PRICES

OF THE
LOUIS

HUTH
COLLECTION

SECTION III
CHAPTER XXXI

SALE PRICES OF THE LOUIS HUTH COLLECTION

(Published by kind permission of the Editor of
“The Connoisseur.”)

OLD NANKIN PORCELAIN.

Vase and cover, oviform, painted with

ladies ina garden, 114 in. high . 63 O O
Bottles, pair, with long necks, painted

with dragons and flames, 10} in.

high. ; 88 4 O
Bottles, pair, with Jovian badiés wie

long slender necks, entirely painted

with formal flowers and arabesque

foliage, and with dark blue bands

round the shoulders, containing

scrolls and blossom reserved in

white, 7# in. high . ; 3962 FO 0
Vase and cover, tall oviform, painted

with ladies and boys in a garden,

1itin. high . ‘ : : oe $6744 6
Canisters and covers, set of three

diamond-shaped, painted with audi-

ences, groups of warriors, and an

execution scene, 12} in. high . ce 3-1-0

388 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Sprinklers, pair, with a band of mirror-
shaped dark-blue panels round the
centre, and vandyke borders, con-
taining formal flowers and foliage
reserved in white, the necks deli-
cately pencilled with a marbled
design, 7} in. high . ;

Vases and covers, set of three éiiesths
and two cylindrical beakers and
covers, entirely painted with tiger-
lily ornament and_ conventional
blossoms, 54, 6%, and 7 in. high

Vases, pair, cylindrical, painted with
bands of formal arabesque foliage,
and with alternate blue bands, with
dragons and scrolls reserved in white,
114 in, high .

Vases, pair, cylindrical, endeted- fue
painted with fishermen, Sages,
flowers, &c., in upright and circular
panels, 10} i in. high . 5

Beaker, painted with branches of aero
ing prunus, the background pencilled
with blue, 18$ in. high :

Vases and covers, pair, oviform, painted
with peonies, cherry-trees, sparrows
and rocks, in shaped panels divided
by trellis-pattern bands, 16% in.
high ;

Vases and covers, set of three oviform,
and a pair of beakers, painted with
audiences, plantain and vases of
flowers, 164 in. and 18 in. high

Vase and cover, oviform prunus-pattern,
of the highest quality, finely painted

4S.

165 Oo

346 10

220 IO

150 O

I40 0O

220 O

1,550 0

SALE PRICES

with branches of flowering prunus
on marbled-blue ground, 10} in.
high 5 ‘ . 6,195

Bottles, pair, nese! siaeed, with Biv

panels containing flowers and leaf-
age reserved in white, the necks
pencilled with marbled pattern in
blue, 74 in. high . : 75

Ewer, with pencilled marbled epee

work and dark-blue heart-shaped
panels, containing scrolls reserved
in white, 64 in. high. : 56

Bottles, pair, with long necks, oained

with pendant lanterns and kordos,
palm-leaves on the necks, 94 in.
high. ; 52

Vases and covers, amie ce handled.

painted with fans and utensils in
mirror-shaped panels and sprays of
flowers, 11 in. high . 65

Dishes, pair, with blue oul deearatba

with seeding peonies and foliage
reserved in white, and painted with
flower-branches round the _ well,
184 in. diameter. 54

Bottle, with compressed body ore eal

cylindrical neck, painted with seed-
ing peonies and foliage, and palm-
leaves round the neck, 18 in. high . 294

Bowls and covers, pair, cylindrical, with

marbled-blue ground and prunus-
blossom in white, painted with
flowering plants and birds in mirror
and fan-shaped panels, 74 in. high. 231

Vase and cover, oviform, painted with

390

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

panels of prunus-branches and birds
on a trellis groundwork, and with
lambrequin-shaped panels round the
shoulder and foot, containing formal
flowers reserved in white on blue
ground, 24 in. high .

Vase and cover, oviform, adn with

rocky landscapes and baskets of
flowers, and with lambrequin-shaped
panels round the shoulders and
foot, with scroll foliage reserved in
white on blue ground, the cover
surmounted by a small figure of a
kylin, 234 1 in. high .

Bottles, pair, powdered-blue, eared

with vases of flowers and utensils
in mirror-shaped Benes 114 in.
high.

Vases and covers, pair, sae blue,

painted with river scenes, flowering
plants and utensils in variously
shaped panels, 19 in. high

Bottles, pair, powdered-blue, with bulbous

necks, painted with river scenes,
flowers and utensils in variously
shaped panels, 18 in. high

Jars and covers, pair, mandarin, painted

with bands of arabesques and alter-
nate blue bands decorated with
dragons, flames, and leafage re-
served in white, 42 in. high

Cisterns, pair, circular, entirely painted

with formal flowers and foliage, and
with a band of beaded ornament
round the top, 27 in. diameter.

4 Ss.

136 10

78 15

241 10

756 O

420 O

1,942 10

ZIG) a0

, ———

SALE PRICES

Bowl, painted with groups of various
flowers, locusts and other insects,
52 in. diameter; and a bowl, with
flowers, insects and reptiles, 5$ in.
diameter . i

Bowl and cover, small elnarical momaed
with mirror-shaped panels of flowers
on marbled-blue ground,with prunus-
blossom reserved in white, 54 in.
high ‘

Vase, cylindrical, eamied ee aprons
foliage, and with a blue band round
the centre decorated with dragons
reserved in white, 11 in. high .

Another vase, nearly similar, 104 in.
high ‘

Bottles, pair, pear- saiaeed painted tte
pendant lanterns and other orna-
ment, and with branches of flowers
round the necks, 114 in. high .

Bowls and covers, pair, cylindrical pow-
dered-blue, painted with river scenes,
flowers and utensils in circular
medallions, 6% in. high .

Jardiniéres, pair, with prunus-blossom
reserved in white on marbled-blue
ground, mounted with Louis XVI.
ormolu handles chased with foliage
and shells, and gadrooned borders,
8 in. diameter

Bottle, with long neck, cued. with
kylins playing with balls, and a
dragon on the neck, 18 in. high .

Vase, painted with an audience and
figures on a terrace, 21} in. high.

199

50
52

391

if)

392 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Vase, painted with a procession in a
rocky landscape, 164 in. high
Vases and covers, set of three, painted
with landscapes, cranes, deer and
other animals in panels with key-
pattern borders, 194 in., 20 in., and

20% in. high

Dishes, pair, large, painted with disicevs
ing plants in the centre in petal
panels on trellis-pattern ground, the
border composed of arabesque foli-
age, among which are figures of
peacocks and baskets of fruit in
four panels, 213 in. diameter

Pair of ditto, similar ;

Cistern, octagonal, painted with cde
lions of arabesque foliage, characters
in the centre, and a band of palm-
leaves round the shoulder, 254 in.
diameter :

Bottle, double gourd- eee paitived with
gourds and foliage, and a band of
key-pattern round the centre, 26 in.
high :

Cisterns, pair, circular, painted with river
scenes in the interior, chrysanthe-
mums and lotus outside, 25 in.
diameter, on walnut-wood stands .

115
115

B15

CHINESE ENAMELLED PORCELAIN.

Tea service, with ruby ground, pencilled
with flowers in grisaille in shaped
panels, consisting of tea-pot, cover

Ss.

ge)
Ke)

ie)

SALE PRICES

and stand, a cream-jug and cover,
two cups and saucers, and two small
saucer-dishes . ; : a

Vase, square-shaped, enamelled with
quails and flowering trees on white
ground, the handles coral-colour
and gold, 102 in. high . j

Bottles, pair, pear-shaped, with miltens
necks, with spiral pink and white
bands, and enamelled with figures
and branches of flowers in colours,
104 in. high s ;

Stand, oblong, enamelled with jiemons
with the Sacred Jewel, in green,
mauve and yellow, 114 in. wide .

Bowl, ruby-coloured, enamelled with a
kakémono and branches of flower-
ing prunus, 74 in. high ‘

Vases, pair, “ famille verte” fluted, foimed
as bamboo canes, enamelled with
small sprays of flowers and grasses
on green and yellow ground, on
octagonal open stands, enamelled
green, 84 in. high . -

Vase, oviform, with bright green mead:
enamelled with dragons and formal
flowers in mauve, with arabesque
foliage reserved in white, and with
unglazed kylins’-mask handles, 12 in.
high ‘

Bottle, powdered- nt ag gints Suede
shape, enamelled with peonies, other
flowers and grasses, in “/amzlle verte,”
in mirror and fan-shaped panels,
10} in, high

240

136

100

320

400

357

393

ee
(6 5a)
O20
Ae Meme 8)
10 Oo
O=-6
O-@
O10
(0) KS)

394. CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

Beakers, pair, with bulbous centres ;)
the necks are finely enamelled
with a bright green ground, sae
which is formally arranged a
design of flowers and _ foliage,
enamelled mauve, the centre part
similarly decorated, but with con-
ventional flowers in green on yel-
low ground, and with a band of
green vandyke panels below; the
lower half of the beakers is
powdered-blue, 104 in. high

Vase and cover, oviform, of somewhat
similar design to the preceding,
the lower part powdered-blue, and
the upper portion and the cover |
enamelled with formal flowers and
foliage in green on yellow ground,
124 in. high. . :

Bottles, pair, triple gourd- nah ied! the
lower part decorated with medal-
lions of masks, utensils and em-
blems, on a floral groundwork, in
black and gold, the centre part
pencilled with kylins and flames, in
rouge-de-fer and gold, on white
ground, the necks powdered-blue,
with Ho-Ho birds in gold,’ 214 in.
high

Bottles, pair, smal! reed hated with
engraved yellow ground, enamelled
with sprays of flowers in colours
7 in. high :

Vase, inverted pear- Lala: ik en-
graved yellow ground, enamelled

: Me me:

2,700 O O

480 0 O

II5 10 O

SALE PRICES

with branches of Severe IO} in.
high :

Vases, pair, oviform ses diet edanieliad
with houses by a river, a_ bridge,
and figures in a summer-house, and
with gilt necks and feet, 10% in.
high P

Vases, set, three euivin, the sroude:
work encrusted with branches of
flowers, and with upright panels
enamelled with Sages and other
figures in landscapes, 74 in. and
84 in. high

Figures of parrots, pair, eiiruatied oe
quoise and dark blue, and mounted
on Louis XV. ormolu scroll plinths,
o# in. high

Part of a tea-service, with pate ers
and black trellis-ground decorated
with plume ornament in mauve,
consisting of cream-jug and cover,
canister and cover, two stands, and
four cups and saucers :

Bowls and covers, set, three, evameticd
with chrysanthemums, branches of
begonia, and sparrows, and with
pink diaper-pattern border, 6 in.
diameter .

Tea-service, lotus- nadttoel Sonn dtie of
tea-pot, milk-jug, canister, bowl and
covers, and four cups and three
saucers; and two small plates,
enamelled in pink and green, and
with branch handles :

Basin, with brown and pink exterior,

304 10

189 O

Za. 10

105 oO

94 10

396

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

pencilled with tiger-lilies and other
flowers in gold, the interior en-
amelled with a ies _ in.
diameter .

Basin, with apple- cevcea na sens

cilled with flowers and grasses in
gold, 4% in. diameter

Ewer and cover, powdered-blue ae,

enamelled with a stream, lotus
plants and prunus-tree, with birds
in “famille verte” in shaped panels,
the ground pencilled with gold,
8} in. high

Dishes, pair, powdered- Eine, seed

with kylins, Ho-Ho birds and uten-
sils in “famelle verte,’ in mirror-
shaped panels, 16 in. diameter

Vase, “famille verte,” of nearly cylindrical

form, with crimson ground, finely
enamelled with branches of seeding
peonies, arabesque foliage and
dragons, and with pale green and
yellow lambrequin-shaped panels
round the borders containing formal
flowers, mounted with ormolu rim
and plinth, with Sphinx supports,
214 in. high

Lantern, oviform egg-shell, with ee

stippled green ground, enamelled
with an audience and ladies on a
terrace, in “fammzlle verte” in two

oblong panels on a groundwork

of flowers and butterflies

Bowl, enamelled with cranes in ae

and white and waves in green on

4 s. d
54 12 O
79 160 O
27350 O
378 O O
600 0 O
410 O O

SALE PRICES

yellow ground, loin. diameter ; and
a dish, with cranes in black and
white on pale yellow ground, 114 in.
diameter .

Basins and stands, pair, small, enamelled
with peonies, and with pink
exteriors

Bowls and covers, pair, decks neice
with panels of pierced honey-comb
pattern, enamelled with re
mums

Dish, circular, aeons aa eenias enam-
elled with vases and utensils on
coloured diaper ground, 9} in.
diameter

Plates, pair, octagonal, eeciial wits
ladies and children by a stream, in
brown border with green trellis le:

2 in diameter

Bowl, with branches of Sams in he
interior, and medallions of flowers
outside on an incised green and
white ground, 10} in. diameter

Jar, cylindrical, with pale green ground,
decorated with flying cranesin black
and white, 7 in. high.

Vase, oviform egg-shell, enamelled ae
ladies in a landscape, carrying vases,
19 in. high :

Vase, oviform, with atbiods -green
ground, enamelled with peonies, a
tree, and birds, 194 in. high

Dishes, pair, iarge, in the Imari taste,
enamelled with vases of flowers and
a fence in the centre, and with scroll-

VSS

189

273

260

105

397

398 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

shaped panels of flowers and birds
on the border on blue ground with
chrysanthemums in réd and gold,
21 in. diameter

Vase, cylindrical, with pencilled blue
scale-pattern ground, enamelled
with lotos, begonias, and other
flowers in panels, in “ onan: verte,”
10% in. high %

Dish, egg-shell, enamelled with a prea
cock and peonies in the centre, four
panels of pink diaper ornament on
the border on blue ground, 7% in.
diameter

Saucer-dish, with ruby back iquniielia
with a kakémono and flowers in the
centre and with pale blue marbled
border with blossom in white, 8 in.
diameter

Plates, pair, octagonal, erindivelted with
flower-sprays in the centre and with
ruby panels on the border on blue
ground, enamelled with peonies,
74 in. diameter

Bowls, pair, small white, with pierced
trellis-pattern sides, decorated with
small medallions of figures modelled
in high relief and gilt, 3 in.
high ‘

Box and cover, “ famille verte,” squae,
enamelled with a crane and em-
blems, on green and yellow trellis-
pattern groundwork, 4 in. square

Cup, “famille verte,” octagonal, on foot,
enamelled with chrysanthemums,

Zs.

173.5

89 5
100 O
I15 10
136 10
60 O
70 O

SALE PRICES

iris, and other flowers, and insects
in compartments, 4% in. high

Bowl, with dark green wave-pattern
ground, decorated inside and out
with horses, waves, shells, and
blossom reserved in white and
partly enamelled mauve, 84 in.
diameter .

Bowl, with apple- sortin crowed; adie
rated with a flowering prunus-tree
reserved in white, heightened with
mauve enamel, 72 in. diameter

Saucer-dish, black ground, enamelled
with chrysanthemums, rocks, and
flowering prunus-tree, 73 in. diam.

Milk-jug and cover, curiously enamelled
with trumpeters, in colours on black
enamelled ground . : é

Cups and saucers, pair of egg- shed
similar :

Basin, similar, 54 in. disnieter

Cups and saucers, pair, with black
ground, enamelled with prunus and
panels of flowers, in green, mauve
and buff, the interiors decorated
with sprays of flowers in red, blue,
and green

Jug and cover, barrel- shaped, ‘wile green
enamelled ground, entirely deco-
rated with formal flowers and
leafage reserved in white, mounted
with old English silver borders and
billet, 7 in. high

Vase, with yellow ground, examitted
with a pheasant, peony, and rocks

4s
54 12
$50.0
370 O
145 0
40 O
55 0
50 O
120 15
370 0

400 CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA

in green and mauve, and with
palm-leaves round the neck, 10 in.
high

Bottles, pair, with sphetical bedies arid
long cylindrical necks, entirely
enamelled with formal flowers and

foliage in “/amzlle verte,” 82 in. high |

Vases, pair, oviform coral-coloured,
entirely decorated with formal
flowers and arabesque foliage
reserved in white, 7% in. high

Bottle, gourd-shaped, of nearly similar
design, 12 in. high . ;

Vase, oviform egg-shell, Sea ows
a lady seated at a table, and with
vases at the side, 8} in. high

Another, enamelled with Sages and
other figures in a mountainous
landscape, 8+ in. high

Vases, pair, egg-shell, with turquoise
ground, enamelled with coast scenes
and figures in the European taste,
84 in. high .

Bottle, pear-shaped, with black eecitied
entirely decorated with formal
flowers and small scroll foliage
reserved in white, 16% in. high

Cistern, oval, enamelled with festoons of
flowers in the European taste, and
panels of figures in the interior, the
outside enamelled with pink and
green chequer-pattern, mounted on
Louis XVI. ormolu plinth, with
gadroon and riband border, 18 in.
wide

goo oO

450 0

T1O520

300 oO

180 O

70 O

52 10

567 0

SALE PRICES

Bottle, of triple-gourd shape, enamelled
with bright green ground, decorated
with formal flowers and arabesque
foliage reserved in white, 11} in. high

Lanterns, pair, egg-shell, of oviform
shape, finely enamelled with an
audience and figures on a terrace,
82 in. high .. ‘ ’

Bowls and covers, pair, enamelled with
vases of flowers, utensils and em-
blems in colours, mounted with
Louis XVI. ormolu borders chased
with rosettes and ribands, lions’-
mask and ring handles, and lions’-
claw stands of the same, the covers
surmounted by cone ornaments,
154 in, high

401

600 O O

E200. OS

336 0 O

Rise bis :

boteupte Pee

alge au Ge

INDEX

A
Amida, 69
Animals, emblems in, 51, 299
Animals, fabulous, 51
Apple-green, 179, 272
Arita ware, 352
Armorial china, 48
Artemesia, 301
Aubergine, 106, 280
Awata ware, 361
Azalea, 302

B
Bamboo, 301
Bamboo drum, an emblem, 341
Banko ware, 377
Base, 17
Bat, 327, 329
Beaker, 17
Biscuit, 17, 209
Bizen ware, 367
Black-mirror, 106, 169
Black under green, 106, 216
Blanc de chine, 46, 137, 150
Blue, 107, 114, 160, 169, 183, 251
Blue and red, 125, 194
Blue and white, 107, 114, 137, 183
Blue, mazarine, 251
Blue, powdered, 115, 215, 243
Body or paste, 17
Borders, 220
Bottle, 17
Brown glaze, 161,173
Buddha, 39
Buddhism, 39
Buddhist divinities, 68, 81
Burnt-in, 17

Cc
Café-au-lait, 173
Carp, 275
Celadon, 17, 33, 98, 107, 115, 124,
159, 166
Chair de poule, 152
Chakra, 255
Cheou or Chow, 61, 82, 151, 329
Chinese characters, plain, text and
seal, 310, 314
Ching-hwa, 98, IoI
Christians in China, 93, 98
Chrysanthemum, 302
Clair-de-lune, 113, 123, 162
Clobbered ware, 201
Coffee-colour glaze, 161
Colours, glazes, &c., 18, 155, 169,
258
Colours, order of discovery, 45
Colours, three, five, 18
Conch shell, 325
Confucianism, 37, 256
Copper-red, vert de cuivre, 46
Coral red ground, 113, 126, 259
Corean lion, 55, 85
Crackle, 163, 177

D
Date marks, 309, 314
Date marks, how to read, 311
Deer, 123, 299
Deer, mille cerfs, 123
Diapers, 129
Dog of Fo, Corean lion, 55, 85,
150, 355
Double circle or rings, 108

Dragons, 53, 263, 355
405

406 INDEX

Dresden Collection, 347
Dynasties, early, 91, 97, 105
Dynasty, Ming, 95,
Dynasty, Tsing, 103

E
East India Company, 287
Egg-shell, 18, 127, 232, 267, 268
Eight immortals, 78, 82, 339
Elizabeth, Queen, I00
Emblematic designs, 299, 325
Emblematic gestures, 69
Emblems in animals, 299
Emblems in birds, 86
Emblems in flowers, 30, 300
Emblems in trees, 30, 301
Enamel, 18, 33
Enamels, coloured, 141, 143, 213,
27%
F
Familles (Families)—
Faune—Yellow, 47, 253
Noire—Black, 47, 106, 169, 216
Rose—Rose, 48, III, 122, 127,
143, 243, 264
Verte—Green, 47, 106, 116, 143,
228
Feuille morte, 155,173
Fong Hoang, 56, 355
Fox, 300
Fenting, soft paste, 18, 31
Figures, 18
Fir or pine, 301
Fish, 326
Five-colour, 18 78,
Flambé, 155, 165, 169
Flute-emblem, 341
Forgeries, 24, 126, 311
Forms, 18
Fungus, 303, 326

G
Gasnault, M., 149
Ginger jar, oviform vase, 193
Glaze, 18, 32
Glazes, self-colour, 33, 153

Glazes, simple, 153

Glazes, variegated, 155

Globber, 202

Gold, reds from, 116, 264

Gombron ware, 100

Gourd, 301

Grand feu, 18

Graviata, 18, 143

Green, delicate, 276

Green family—Famille verte, 47,
106, 116, 143, 228

Green, Ming, 272

H
Hard paste, 29
Hare, 300, 326
Hawthorn pattern, 144,192, 227, 301
Heen-fung, 144
Hirado ware, 353
History of porcelain, 89
Hizen ware 352
Ho-Ho bird, 56, 354
Honorific marks, 312
Hundred antiques, 18
Hung-woo0, 97, 100
Huth Collection, sale prices, 385

Imari ware, 142, 352

Imbe ware, 369

Imitations of Oriental porcelain,
293

Immortals, 78, 82, 339

Iron-red, rouge de fer, 116, 196
215

Jacquemart, M., 149

Jade, 102, 161

Japanese marks, 362, 365, 381-383

Japanese porcelain and pottery,
351

Jesuits in China, 98

Joo-e-head decoration, 61, 136, 240,
247

Joo-e-head, symbol, 327

eto a

INDEX 407

K
Kang-he, 103, 183, 214
Kaolin, 18, 32
Kea-king, 139
Kea-tsing, 102
Keen-lung, 119, 264
Kenzan ware, 372
Kiau, dragon, 263
Kiln, 18, 32, 47
King-te-chin, 92, 121, 144, 184
Kishu ware, 375
Korea, lion of, 55, 85
Kouan-ti, 73
Kutani ware, 370
Kwang-shiu, 144
Kwan-Yin, 58, 61, 62, 65, 150, 373
Kylin, 54, 85, 355
Kyoto ware, 360

L
Lange-Lysen, 190, 232
Lang-yao, 156, 275
Lao-tseu, 39, 58, 73, wD 3 301, 339
Leaf mark, 326
Li, dragon, 195, 263
“Long Elizas,” 191, 232
Longevity, god of, 151
Lotus, 255, 303, 326
Lowestoft, 202
Lung, dragon, 263

Magnolia, 304
Mandarin, 18, 129, 133, 283
Mandarin china, 136, 283
Marks—

Date, 314

Grass, 310

Hall, 321

How to read, 311, 317-319

Seal, 310, 315, 319

Text, 310
Mazarine blue, 169, 243, 251
Mice china, 18
Mille cerfs, 41, 123
Mille fleurs, 123
Ming, 61, 95, 214, 273, 312

Mirror black, 106, 161, 169
Morte fewille, 155, 173

Moulds, 18

Mudras, hand gestures, 69 »
Mythical deities, 61, 78, 82, 337

N
Nabeshima ware, 353
Naga, 18
Nankin blue, 183, 312
Neck, 19
Nien-hao, 92, 105, 107, 311

Ornaments, 19

Overglaze enamels, 18, 33, 143,
213,271

Oviform, 231

Oxides, 165

Pa-Kwa, 112, 195, 329

Pa-sien or Pa-chen, 78, 82, 339

Paste or Body, 19

Peach, 301, 304, 327

Peach bloom or peach blow, I12,
170

Peach-tree, 301

Pearl, 325

Pekin ware, 19

Peony, 305

Pe-tun-tze, 19, 31

Pheasant, 86

Phoenix, 56

Pierced or reticulated porcelain,
152, 205, 207

Pierced patterns, 143, 209

Pin points, 19

Piu-hwo, Taoist god, 77

Poutai, 151

Powder or powdered blue, 115,
155, 215, 243, 246, 249

Prunus blossom, 192, 227, 301

Queen Elizabeth, 100
Queen of heaven, Si-Wang-Mu,
57, 66

408 _ INDEX

Rabbit, 300

Red, 48, 161, 173

Red, underglaze with blue, 126,
194

Religion and Mythology, 35

Reserves or compartments, I15,
220

Reticulated porcelain, 152, 205, 207

Rice bowls, 142

Rose, 116, 264.

Rose family —Famiille rose, 48, 111,
116, 122, 264

Rouge de fer, iron red, 116, 196,
215, 231, 259, 261

Ruby-backed plates, 116, 127, 267

Ruby-backed plates, sale prices,

127

Sale Prices—Huth Collection, 387
” ” Japanese, 304

Sanda Ware, 379

Sang de beeuf, 113, 124, 156

Satsuma ware, 357

Seal, 310, 316, 319

Seven borders, 129

Sheba ware, 379

Shell, conch, 325

Show, or Cheou, 61, 82, 151, 329

Single or self-colour glazes, 153,
161

Si-Wang-Mu, 57, 66, 301

Slip, 19

Soft paste, Fenting, 18, 31

Soma ware, 378

Splashed, tiger, 166

Statuettes, 18, 343

Suen-tih, 97, 99, 159

Sung dynasty, 92, 161, 179

Swastika, 136, 256, 279, 326

Symbolical marks, 325, 384
Symbols or emblems, 299, 325, 327

Taoism, 38

Taoist immortals, 76, 78, 82, 339
Taou-kwang, 142
Tests, 191, 371
Three-colour, 18, 106
Tiger splashed, 167
Tortoise, 300
Transfer printing, 137
Truité, 179

Tsing dynasty, 103
Tung-che, 144

U
Under-glaze blue, 107, 114, 183
Under-glaze red, 126
Unicorn, or kylin, 54, 85

Vv
Vases, 19
Vitreous enamels, 18

WwW
Wan Chong, 70
Wan leih, 18, 106
Warham, Archbishop, 98
Wen-tchang, God of Wisdom, 74
White, 45, 147
Willow pattern, 19

¥
Yang and Yin, 113, 329
Yao-pien, 19, 165
Yeiraku ware, 372
Yellow Family—Famille jaune,
47, 252
Yellow glaze, 160, 173
Yulan, 247
Yung-ching, 109
Yung-lo, 18, 98, 101

UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON

Wi A

3 9088 01612

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